Home
by PrecariousPersonata
Summary: Buffy has been searching for a way back to her own world after being ripped out of it ten years ago. Thorin and company are on a quest to take back Erebor but they need help slaying a dragon. A BtVS/ The Hobbit. Please review!
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

_She was being torn apart, over and over, down to the very fiber of her being. The pain ripped through her and she could do nothing but give a voiceless scream. She burned inside with an indescribable heat while her skin prickled sharply as if tiny shards of ice were trying to pierce through her skin. It confused her to the point of delirium but somehow she managed to hold on. She retreated into the recesses of her mind, to escape the pain and to hold on to her sanity. They may have control over her body but at least she was able to seek refuge in her mind._

_Just when she had a small glimmer of hope that she would be okay, that she would get through this, she began to feel them probe into her mental cocoon. She felt them scraping against her shields, trying to pry it open and invade her completely… _

_And then it stopped. The ripping and tearing sensations left her so suddenly that if it weren't for the painful ache that it left behind, she would have thought that she imagined everything. She heard voices but she could not understand what they were saying. A moment later, she was surrounded by something soft and warm, although she couldn't tell what it was. She was however, able to feel herself being picked up and moved. Slowly she forced her eyes to open and to see where she was._

_At first there was a bright light; so bright she flinched from it. But it was warm and soothing and so she blinked away the pain. Finally, a kind, old face framed with unruly grey hair looked back at her, his eyes full of worry and pity. "Rest, girl. You are safe now."_

_In spite of the terrible ache, she could not rest. All she can do was cry and sob and scream into his shoulder as her voice finally returned…_

Buffy woke up in a start, gasping for air. Unfortunately, her nightmare was a memory and one that happened more than ten years ago. It was another life-altering moment—she's had plenty—but it was one that had ripped her away from her Earth and life and dumped into a new one. For ten years she's been trying to find a way to go back home and for all her searching and frustrations, the only thing she was able to get was a cryptic message from the Lady of the Wood. And that had gotten her nowhere very quickly.

It unnerved and excited her that she should dream about it so suddenly again. She rubbed her temple, as if to rub away the throbbing headache that she could feel coming.

Deep in her heart, part of her knew what the dream meant. There were things set in motion that should not be ignored. Fate was knocking and it was finally going to give her the answer she has been looking for all these years. She threw off her covers and began to dress.

It was time to find Gandalf.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

A tall shadow loomed over her table. "I heard you were looking for me, Magorpîn." Buffy looked up and saw the same kind, old face from ten years ago. His bushy eyebrows lifted and his eyes full of mirth. "Whatever did you get yourself into this time? Another 'misunderstanding' with the Rangers?"

She snorted and tried not to comment on her unwanted moniker. "Gandalf, I've been trying to forget about those dorks for the past two years and yet here you are, bringing it up as much and as often as you can. And for the last time—it was not _my_ fault."

Gandalf guffawed as he sat down across from her. Finding Strider and his associates bested by this mere slip of a girl remained to be one of his fondest memory. "Forgive me, my dear. I am an old man simply taking enjoyment out of the little things in life." They were at the Green River Pub, one of the many establishments located in the Bree. It was a decently populated place; quite ideal for their meeting. There was enough noise that they could not be easily overheard but it was not too crowded that Gandalf could not spot an eavesdropper.

He smiled as he took a good look at her but it quickly turned into a frown. She looked exhausted; he could see it in her eyes. It was a look that only those who have seen much of the evils of the world and have survived through it have. And it never failed to unnerve Gandalf that a fair maiden such as she could have such haunted eyes. He had known her for the past ten years and the look has just become that much lonelier and sadder. She found no joy in this world, for her heart still mourns the loss of her own.

He sighed and took out his pipe and began to smoke, blatantly ignoring the miffed look Buffy gave him. She had never enjoyed the smell of smoke but Gandalf had a feeling that their meeting was not circumstantial. And such feelings were often right and often required a good bit of weed on the side.

"You look tired, my friend," he finally began after taking a couple more puffs of the Old Tobe. "More so than you usually do and it's quite unbecoming for someone as young as you."

She laughed a humorless laugh. "You and I both know I haven't aged a single day since I've been here." She paused, unsure of how to bring up her worries until finally deciding to just get right to it. "I've been having dreams…well, dreams of my memories, of when and how I got here. I haven't had them in a long time and I…I have feeling about them Gandalf. I think it's time I begin searching for a way back again, I just need some help to start."

The wizard sighed sympathetically. "Magorpîn…other than your dreams, what information could you possibly find that you have not found already? Which persons could you ask that you have not previously asked thrice? I am not saying you should ignore your feelings, as I have often found them to be very telling in the past, but I am afraid that I do not have useful counsel. I have kept a very mindful ear for anything that could help you in anyway these past years and nothing has changed."

"So what are you telling me? You want me to do nothing!? Sit back and let the next ten, twenty years of my life slip pass?" Buffy angrily snapped back. She may have been tired but she was never one to give up. "I'm exhausted Gandalf and I want nothing more than to go back_._ To my _home_…my world."

_Home..._Now this made the wizard pause. Several small smoke rings rose from the corner of his mouth as he thought and re-thought over his ponderings. "Perhaps…hmm, yes, yes. Interesting. This could work," he muttered to himself.

"What's interesting? What could work?"

His eyes focused back at her. "I may after all, have some useful advice, my dear. I have a few friends that are much in the same predicament as you are. They are on a journey, a quest if you will, to return back from whence they came. It will be perilous and they will always need a capable hand, a bit of a warrior's touch if I say so myself. Unfortunately, I am not at liberty to say much more, but this may give you answers that you seek."

Buffy shook her head and frowned. "Gandalf…I'm not in the mood to play babysitter with your new kids. I have better things to do so thank you, but no thank you."

"Oh?" the wizard asked mockingly. "Did you happen to realize a new nook or crevice that you have yet to search in the past few minutes? Or perhaps you've been blessed with a new revelation?"

"Look you were right! You have don't have anything useful for me. I have nothing to gain from this new adventure of yours so you don't have to get all uppity—"

"Buffy Summers!" this time, Gandalf thundered angrily and rose from his chair. Buffy was shocked; more so about him having used her full name of course, rather than his usage of magic to intimidate her. Several patrons of the pub eyed the pair warily; an angry wizard was no easy company. "You ask me for my counsel and here I give it freely, yet you mock it and throw it away without giving it much thought. It may not make sense now but I would not ask you to come if I did not think it would help."

Gandalf sighed as he let go of the magic. He sat down and relit his pipe. Buffy still looked dubious about his suggestion, but he had already made up his mind about her coming and he would not let her stubbornness and pride get in the way. At least now she was ready to listen. "You of all people should know how they feel. They are seeking to return to _their_ home too Magorpîn. Maybe in their quest to reclaim what they have lost, you will find yours."

It took a few more minutes before Buffy finally gave her answer. "Alright, you win. I'll join your merry band, but ONLY because I have nothing else better to do and I don't really have much of a lead to my questions anyways."

Buffy may not have said it aloud, but Gandalf knew the true reason. So instead, he smiled knowingly and tapped out his pipe. "Excellent! There will be a meeting to be held in three days time in the Shire at Bag End. The door will be marked, so you will know which door to knock upon. Come at around dinnertime; I heard our host is more than a capable cook. It should be a merry gathering.

"Be prepared to leave for the next day. It will be a long journey, and I fear there will be some trouble or another in the road, as these things oft have. I will contact the head of our company, Thorin son of Thrain, about you and take care of most of the formalities," he hummed and muttered a couple of things under his breath, which Buffy failed to catch. "To make things easier, I believe it would be wise to hide your identity and your gender for now, until the right opportunity arises. You will be coming as a…consultant of mine. A very, very silent consultant."

She gave him a dry look. Already, this adventure was asking a lot from her—he had just asked her to Mulan part of the trip! "And what exactly am I a consulting you with if I can't talk?"

Gandalf harrumphed and was tempted to pull out another pinch of the Old Tobe. "That remains to be seen, Magorpîn. That remains to be seen."

* * *

**A/N:** Please let me know what you think! I wasn't expecting to get back into BtVS-verse, but after watching the Hobbit (twice), I couldn't help myself. Reviews would be AWESOME. Oh, and Merry Christmas!


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"D-dragon?" Bilbo Baggins, supposed burglar extraordinaire gulped worriedly. "And how, may I ask, are you planning on getting past the nasty, horrid creature?" All the dwarves could see him tremble but only the older dwarves gave him sympathetic looks.

"Do not worry, Master Baggins and do not forget my fellow dwarves that we have a wizard in our company," Kili exclaimed bravely, as if killing the dragon has been made easy by Gandalf's mere presence. Everybody looked at the wizard who began blowing smoke rings in agitation.

"Yes you're right! How many dragons have you killed in your day, Master Gandalf?"

"I bet he's killed plenty!"

"He's a wizard after all!"

And on and on it went until said wizard had had enough. "Quiet! I am quite sorry to disappoint all of you Master Dwarves but I have never slain a dragon in my lifetime. Seen them yes, but never slain. Such deeds have been left to persons more heroic than this humble old man." If Gandalf had thought that this would calm the company down, he was sorely mistaken. An uproar quickly began, of dwarves debating and arguing against each other.

"ENOUGH!" Thorin roared, effectively ending the bickering. "Gandalf, did you not say that a consultant of yours would be joining our company? Can _he_ consult with us about sure methods for slaying dragons?"

"Oh yes, yes. And he is one who has made a habit of being quite fashionably—" The doorbell rang, interrupting the irritated wizard. "—late."

Before Bilbo had gotten the sense to get the door, Gandalf was already up on his feet and striding over to the entrance. "You are unforgivably tardy," he greeted the cloaked figure angrily. "And you better know how to kill a dragon else your place in this company be questioned constantly."

He led the sheepish Buffy to where all the dwarves and Bilbo were gathered before she could utter a word. All eyes were on the two as the mysterious fourteenth have yet to remove the cloak or say a word. "Master Dwarves, may I introduce you to the fourteenth member of this company. He is a dear friend of mine and as Thorin previously said, will be acting as a consultant in this journey."

There was a long and pregnant pause and even Bilbo did not know what to say. Finally Thorin asked mockingly, "And does this consultant of yours, happen to answer to a name, Gandalf? Or for that matter, have a voice of his own?"

"Oh yes! He goes by Magorpîn and as for his voice…well, unfortunately, there was a bit of a 'misunderstanding' with some Rangers in the North and it had left him unable to speak again." Had any of the dwarves paid closer attention to Gandalf, they would have seen a hint of mischief in his eyes. Gandalf could practically feel Buffy's irritation at him for using such an excuse for not being able to speak. Thankfully, she did have enough sense to bow deeply in respect and as a way to offer them her services.

Thorin looked at the mysterious man with suspicion. Something did not sit well with him and though he owed Gandalf much, it did not mean that he would accept everything the wizard said readily. Magorpîn was shorter than the average man, but an inch or two taller than the average dwarf; so even his race was a mystery. With such a small figure, Thorin wondered if he had unwittingly gained another cumbersome and defenseless load. He looked closer and was grudgingly satisfied to note that underneath his brown coat were several hidden weapons.

His satisfaction quickly turned into wariness when he realized that Magorpîn was covered in some form of clothing from head to toe. A brown cloak, dark leather boots, black breeches, and gloved hands…The only bit of skin they could see was his clean-shaven chin and pursed mouth.

Yes. Magorpîn was far too mysterious for his liking.

Gandalf sensed the tension from the dwarf king and hurried to break it. "Magorpîn, allow me to introduce to you the rest of the dwarves. This is Thorin son of Thrain son of Thror, King Under the Mountain. To his left going clockwise are Dwalin, Balin, Oin, Gloin, Fili, Kili, Bifur, Bombur, Bofur, Ori, Nori, and Dori. Last but not least is the Master of this house, Bilbo Baggins, our company's resident burglar."

"Gandalf, I have not signed nor agreed to anything to do with your adventure. And again, I am not a thief—I've never stolen anything in my life," a little man huffed next to Magorpîn. He turned to his right and saw Bilbo who was clutching a cup of hot tea with a bit of scone on the side as an offering to the mysterious man. "Here. I'd offer something more substantial but unfortunately the –ahem— hmm, well I wasn't expecting a fourteenth. My apologies," he finished lamely. Still Magorpîn took his offerings and gave a small smile in thanks.

"Gandalf tells us you know how to kill a dragon, laddie," one of the dwarves—was it Dwalin or Balin?—called out. "Do you mind telling us—er miming to us how you're gonna kill the great and terrible Smaug?"

Magorpîn cocked his head to the side in deep thought. Then with one hand he pushed his cloak to reveal a sword. Gandalf coughed from his smoke when he realized the meaning behind the gesture. Quite simply, Magorpîn was going to deal with Smaug by sword. _Even in silence Buffy has not lost her wit. _The dwarves muttered amongst of themselves, not knowing what to make of it.

"Is that how you got your name Magorpîn?"

"Oh yes," Gandalf answered for his friend, pleased to have a little distraction. "The 'little swords-man'. A moniker given to him by the rangers and it has since then stuck. You know your Sindarin, Master Bilbo."

"Yes well, as I've said, I have studied languages and maps Gandalf, not _thievery_."

And so the meeting went on. Thorin had to calm down several more arguments rising from his company before Balin could give out the contracts to Magorpîn and Bilbo. The mysterious man signed his name and given it back to dwarf promptly without reading the context while Bilbo read and fainted at some point between 'evisceration and incineration'. It promptly signaled the end of the formal part of their meeting and everybody left the table to go on their own devices. Gandalf helped rouse Bilbo up and attempted once again to convince him to join their adventure.

Thorin eyed Magorpîn with distrust as the man walked past him down a hallway. "It upsets you that you cannot see his face, doesn't it?" Balin muttered to his lord.

"Aye, that it does. I've been burdened by not one, but two strangers. A hobbit 'burglar' who is much too soft and genteel for our journey and another whose face we have yet to see. I do not trust either but at least I have seen Mister Baggins," Thorin frowned. He absently rubbed the lost key that Gandalf gave him.

"True but at least Magorpîn can wield a sword. Our party is made up of toymakers and tinkerers, Thorin. We have need of those who can fight," Balin gently reminded him, though he himself would be hard-pressed to say that he liked the other new member of their company. "Perhaps in time, we will grow to trust him."

"There are still warriors left in this company, Balin."

"Yes—old ones," Balin responded with a grim smile. "You do not have to do this, Thorin. Everyone knows what you have done for your kin. You have given us a respectable and decent life, safe from the dangers that we will be going to. That is worth more than all the gold in Erebor."

Something dark passed over Thorin and he quickly pulled out the key that he had been rubbing for awhile. For him, it had never been about the gold or the famous treasures. This had always been about reclaiming their home.

"From my grandfather it passed to my father and now this is passed on to me. It is fate that we take back Erebor, Balin. My forefathers have left this so that their children…so that _we _would one day take back our kingdom." He looked around him and saw his kin laughing merrily and jesting with each other. At a corner he saw Magorpîn and Thorin could not shake the feeling that he was looking right at him. "Loyalty, honor, and a willing heart. That is all I can ask from these men."

Satisfied, Balin smiled. "Then we will be right with you till the end, laddie."

* * *

Gandalf failed in getting Bilbo to sign the contract that night. Buffy sighed but she wasn't surprised. What was Gandalf thinking? From what little she's heard from the meeting earlier and the muttering of the dwarves, she could tell that this was no walk in the park. And Bilbo was someone who was more fitted to walk in a park than run in the edges of the Wild. She sighed and took one last sip of her cold tea before setting it down.

Buffy was in what seemed to be a study. It was cozy and warm by the fire; it had been awhile since she's been in a place like this. Most of the dwarves were here and without her realizing it, their jovial mood turned somber. It wasn't until they lit their pipes one by one, that she noticed their jesting and laughing had ended. Their smoke finally reached her, making her sigh again and scrunch her nose. She rose up to leave—didn't anybody here believe in second-hand smoke?

Then someone started humming. It was a deep and gravelly tone that sent shivers down her spine and stopped her from walking out of the room. Before she knew it, Thorin began singing. His voice was low, so low that it reminded her of the deep mines to the east. One by one the dwarves stood up and joined in, adding their own longing for their old kingdom and desire to regain what they have lost. Unwittingly, Buffy began to yearn for the same mountain they sang about. She turned around slowly, afraid to break the spell the song had woven around her.

The dwarves all had a faraway look about them as if their own song had also bewitched them. In their minds they saw the cavernous halls filled with hidden treasures and of the fire that changed their lives. Everyone sang with a deep and painful ache that could only be remedied by returning to their home. Buffy looked at Thorin who, if she understood correctly, lost more than just his kingdom. If it was possible, he sang with a greater pain and desire than the other dwarves.

She leaned against a desk, moved by their song. Something within her stirred, though she was unable to pinpoint exactly what she felt. Gandalf was right; she did know what they feel.

Buffy found the wizard staring right back at her with a small knowing smile. Suddenly, a sharp jolt of jealousy and indignant anger ran through her and she woke up from the melodious enchantment. Damn the wizard and damn the dwarves! She not only lost a home but also her _world_ and she had neither map nor key nor eager company to help her get back to it. Even Gandalf couldn't help her! She was alone and she would be wasting her time helping them when she could be helping herself. Whatever sympathetic feelings she had towards their cause she squashed down angrily.

Buffy suddenly felt stifled in the room. Her hand clenched; she needed to hit something.

The final notes of the song were punctuated with the slamming of a door behind her.

* * *

**A/N: **Pretty please review! There were some parts of the dialogue that are very similar to the movie script, so I apologize for any spoilers. It's mostly done from memory, so they're not exactly similar. I'd love to hear what you guys think!


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The sun had barely risen when the dwarves bustled out of the hobbit hole one by one. Everyone was eager to get their journey started, in spite of the fact that they were currently down one burglar and missing a consultant. They left the quiet land of Hobbitton before any self-respecting hobbit even left their warm bed.

"Well now, Gandalf," Thorin started when they have passed the last hobbit hole. "It seems that our company is down a burglar and a consultant. Are those positions available to be filled by other more qualified persons or are you set in your beliefs that both Baggins and Magorpîn will change their minds?"

Gandalf harrumphed but he did not lose faith. "They will come, Thorin. You'll see."

"Then what say you in making this a bit more interesting, eh?" Kili, shouted from somewhere from the back. "A bit of a wager never hurt anyone. I say five silver pieces on neither Bilbo nor Magorpîn showing up."

"I'll take that wager!" Gandalf shouted back promptly, chuckling at the easy win. _A wizard never fails to gamble on good odds._

"Now wait, if one shows up but not the other, how do you split the winnin's?" a confused Ori replied back while scratching his head.

"You get no winnin's if your bet doesn't come true you dolt."

The bickering continued good-heartedly between the younger dwarves. Most bet against the two from ever showing up. A couple bet that they would, but mostly because in the small chance that both showed up, it could lead to a decent purse. Gandalf noticed that Thorin took no part in their wager; though the wizard had a feeling which side he was betting his odds on.

Magorpîn's departure last night did not sit well with the dwarves. In fact, Balin had been so offended that he nearly tore out the contract that Magorpîn signed had it not been for Gandalf. Many of the dwarves grumbled angrily and the wizard knew that Magorpîn would have to prove herself even more so if she was to be accepted in this company.

They were passing over a small hill when Thorin abruptly stopped his pony, causing the rest of the animals to whine at the lack of warning. Gandalf stopped his conversation with Balin when he realized what happened and grinned delightedly when he saw the cause of it. Around the bend was Magorpîn who sat on a large grey pony. Thankfully, almost everyone took this as a sign that their consultant never had any intentions of letting them leave without him. After all, he was already ahead of them!

"I do believe that's one favor towards my way, gentle-dwarves!" Gandalf laughed merrily, while Magorpîn headed over their way. Thorin scowled when Magorpîn failed to acknowledge his presence when he passed by. Or apologize for his rude departure last night by some form of gesture. In fact, Thorin got the feeling that he was just ignored by the man!

He swallowed the snide comment that threatened to come out. _At least he knows his way around a sword_. Thorin made a move to restart their journey.

"WAIT!" A small voice cried from behind them.

Thorin raised an eyebrow in surprise. He was thoroughly convinced that Mr. Baggins would stay in his safe little hole away from dragons and dangers. He turned his horse around and saw Bilbo, who wore his best travelling clothes (which were a little too nice to be used in such a trip like this), running down the last bend. "Don't go! I signed it! I signed the contract. Here it is!"

Gandalf gave the hobbit an even bigger smile, although it had nothing to do with his winnings. _There is still hope left for Baggins after all. _"Welcome Bilbo and Magorpîn. Glad that you can join us," the wizard greeted them both with a wink when they reached the rest of the company. Bilbo gave him a proud smile while Magorpîn's pursed lips stayed pursed.

Balin took the contract from Bilbo and peered at it with a small grin. "Everything seems to be in order, Master Baggins. Glad you're here, laddie."

"Uh…Thank you," Bilbo panted, still winded from his run.

"Give him a pony and let's go!" Thorin shouted from up front while he motioned his own to start trotting. Everybody followed suit while Bilbo frantically explained that he would be fine walking and no, he did not mind at all. Unfortunately for him his protests fell to deaf ears and he quickly found himself riding a brown pony.

A flurry of tossing small bags of coins suddenly took suit with several grumblings and good-natured laughs following the purses. "What's happening, Gandalf? What are they doing?" Bilbo asked, quite confused at the whole ordeal.

"There were some wagers made about you and Magorpîn's decision to join the company. Most bet that neither of you would come."

The hobbit frowned, slightly offended but accepted the simple truth. He would have bet against him too…"And what did you wager on?"

As if to answer his question, Gandalf snatched the small purse that was tossed his way with a sly grin. "I never doubted you'd come, Bilbo Baggins. Or Magorpîn for that matter. A wizard never gambles against the odds."

Gandalf's comment made Bilbo pause for a second. "Magorpîn? Why were they betting that he wouldn't come?"

"I suppose it had something to do with how he left last night. Or maybe because he wasn't with us when set off in the morning. But the latter could be explained with the fact that he went out ahead earlier than us," Gandalf shrugged, though he suspected that there was something he had not figured out yet.

His eye suddenly caught sight of a broken tree a good ways far to the left of their trail as they trotted pass. He was sure that there were no broken trees in this area four days ago unless…Gandalf glanced over at Magorpîn who was flexing his hands and rubbing his knuckles through his gloves.

_The poor tree never stood a chance…_

* * *

Bilbo had never done something quite so unexpected and so adventurous as to run out to the blue without notifying anybody. Goodness, even Gandalf hadn't promised that he would return back. Although the contract does entail funeral arrangements should things go horribly wrong, Bilbo Baggins would've liked to settle his affairs in a neat and tidy order. Actually, he would've preferred to avoid the entire business all together and not have to settle any sort of affair for another thirty or so years! Nevertheless, he found himself on this adventure, and he tried not to squirm on his seat at the uncomfortable idea.

_Well, it's no longer an idea is it, old chap? _He thought wryly. _And the reality is…well the reality is that we are on this adventure and we might as well make the most of it._

He rubbed his irritated nose for the umpteenth time. Once more, he tried not to berate himself for forgetting his kerchiefs and probably a bunch of other essentials…like soap! _Oh confound it all, I did forget soap…_

Fortunately he managed to cough up his sigh, though one of the dwarves looked over at him with bemusement. Bilbo just shrugged back, unwilling to show his disappointment once more, and tried to look for something else to do besides realizing more and more how uncomfortable this adventure would be. Most of the dwarves were conversing with each other; a few were practicing a musical instrument; and there were those who simply kept to themselves, neither discouraging conversation nor starting it.

Bilbo finally spotted Magorpîn who had managed to find a spot in the back of the company, away from anybody else. Nobody seemed to be interacting with the queer fellow, though Baggins supposed that it had something to do with the man being mute.

Or the fact that he always seemed to carry a grim, serious air.

Or that one couldn't help but feel _ignored_ by him, even without trying to get his attention.

But something about Magorpîn called to Bilbo. For one reason or another, the hobbit pitied the man. It must be terribly lonely to be unable to talk in the midst of all these strangers, whom he would have to trust and depend on sooner or later.

The hobbit turned to wizard, who had been silently smoking all this time. "Gandalf, how long did you say you've known Magorpîn?"

Gandalf stopped smoking and knew that the surrounding dwarves would also hear whatever he said. They were closer to the front where Thorin and Balin were; so thankfully, Magorpîn was out of earshot. "I found him ten years ago in the forests of Greenwood. He was in trouble and suffered from an unnatural sickness but with whom or from what, I still do not know. I suspect he doesn't remember most about it either, just the pain. I helped heal him and I suppose you can say I had gained a very loyal friend that day."

"Is that what caused him to become a mute?" Thorin couldn't help himself ask. The dwarf barely turned around to acknowledge the fact that he'd been eavesdropping.

"No and he's not a mute," Gandalf replied. Thorin also needed to hear a bit more about Magorpîn if the dwarf were to trust him. "He simply stopped talking; there is a difference. And anyways, that was with the incident with the rangers—I already told you that.

"No…I actually found that Magorpîn had quite a bit of temper after he healed. And he is also a remarkable fighter; one of the best and admittedly, the most unorthodox swordsman I've ever met. He'd spent most of the past ten years trying to find out what happened to him and to hunt down the cause of his suffering. I helped him as much as I could but unfortunately, we didn't find much. We followed every lead we had, even going back to the place I found him. Then one day, he just stopped looking. He gave up. And all that fire and temper that I'd known Magorpîn to have, disappeared with it."

Gandalf glanced over his shoulder to look at Magorpîn. "He has changed. He's as cold as he is silent but I suspect that he's held on to his anger these past years, and it now burns inside him without an outlet. Part of me hopes that our adventure would bring the old Magorpîn back. We may have need of him."

There was a bit of a pause and then not knowing what else to say, Thorin grunted, "He's short."

The wizard laughed, "Yes that he is, especially for being one of the race of Men but I wouldn't say that to his face. Apparently that's what started the Ranger incident."

And that was the end of their conversation. Bilbo tried to get more information out of Gandalf but the wizard deflected his questions and said that Bilbo would have to ask Magorpîn himself if he wanted to get anything else. Regardless, Gandalf gave Bilbo and Thorin plenty to think about. Both were infinitely more curious about the swordsman and not for the first time, they wished that Magorpîn could talk.

Thorin looked over his shoulder until he spotted Magorpîn's cloaked figure. A part of him pitied the man; he knew what it was like to carry an anger so hot that it burned to the soul. Yet he couldn't shake off the feeling that there was still something very crucial that Gandalf had neglected to mention. And he wanted to know what it was and why he kept it from him.

For Bilbo's part, he wanted nothing more than to try and befriend the mysterious man. He was right in his earlier assessment—Magorpîn had led quite a lonesome life and though he could not talk…or chose not to talk…Bilbo could. And as the two of the three who were not of dwarfish decent, Bilbo felt they should have some sort of camaraderie. Having settled on his decision to engage more with Magorpîn, he turned Myrtle (his pony) and started to trot back to the end of the line.

"Where are you going?" cried Gandalf. Thorin too, raised a brow but said nothing.

"To talk to Magorpîn!"

Those who heard Bilbo shot each other confused looks but Gandalf simply chuckled once more.

* * *

"Good afternoon!" Bilbo said cheerily and disregarded the fact that he felt ignored by Magorpîn. The man barely twitched in acknowledgement! "And I mean that in the way that means that it is a good afternoon, that I wish you to have a good afternoon, and that it is an afternoon to be good on…hehem." He coughed uncomfortably as he realized that he had just unwittingly referenced Gandalf from a couple of days ago.

Bilbo saw Magorpîn's frown deepen and he was beside himself trying to find a new topic. "So do you do this often? This whole adventuring business?"

No response.

"Any favorite hobbies?"

No response.

"Do you fancy a smoke?" Bilbo was incredibly happy that he had remembered to bring one of his pipes and a bag of good tobacco. At this Magorpîn actually turned to him to respond. The hobbit was about to reach for his bag when realized that Magorpîn had curled his lips in a distinct look of distaste. "Oh…that's a 'no' on the tobacco then?"

The man pursed his lips and turned his head back towards the road. _Well, at least he's not ignoring me…_though he did find it a bit queer that Magorpîn found tobacco so unappealing. Again he struggled for another topic.

"Gandalf told me last night that my great-great-great-great-great-great-whatever grandfather invented golf."

He had no idea why he brought THAT up of all things but the random topic seemed to have puzzled his fellow companion enough to reward him with another turn of his head. He could tell that Magopîn was waiting for him to continue.

"Well apparently he was so big that he was able to ride upon a horse. According to Gandalf, he fought in the Goblin Wars and during the last battle he swung his club so hard that he knocked the leader of the goblins' head right off and it shot down through the rabbit hole. And that's how the game started," he shrugged.

Magorpîn still looked at him, but now with his mouth slightly agape. Then he snorted in what Bilbo thought was a mixture of amusement and derision. The sound startled him. If anything he was expecting a smile of some sort, but nothing as close as to actually making him laugh (and Bilbo insisted that it was some form of laughter).

The strange man accidentally pulled on his reins and his horse stumbled a little in surprise. Magorpîn reached over to calm his startled horse, and in doing so, several pieces of his hair fell out of his hood. It was the first time Bilbo saw anything of Magorpîn that was not his chin or mouth that he couldn't help but mumble dumbly, "Blonde."

His companion suddenly sat straight up as if shocked and he hurriedly tucked the hair back into his hood. Bilbo's eyes narrowed at the movements and he frowned. Something was off about that particular action. It was entirely too…_feminine._

He stared at Magorpîn more closely. Now thinking about it, he realized that Magorpîn's frame was more effeminate than masculine. Bilbo looked at one of the dwarves in front of him then again at Magorpîn. Though they were entirely two different races, Magorpîn's shoulders were suddenly too lithe, and his chin too clean-shaven and pointed, and his mouth too curved…

_Could Magorpîn actually be…?_

"A-are you a—?"

His question was suddenly cut short by a sword pointed right at his throat that had come out of nowhere.

* * *

**A/N: **Ruhroh. Hopefully you guys followed the teeny bit of background of what happened to Buffy for the past ten years. Details will follow in the upcoming chapters, so please stay tuned. Thank you to everyone who's reviewed so far. I love reading your thoughts and support! Keep them coming!

P.S. I apologize for any grammar mistakes, chapter 1-3 have not been beta-d.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Bilbo held his hands up in frightened surrender and squeaked, "I'm sorry! I didn't mean—"

Magorpin hissed, "If you don't want those dwarves acting out your funeral arrangements by tonight, I highly suggest that you shut. Up."

Bilbo's jaw promptly closed though his eyes widened impossibly more. If he had any doubts about his observations of Magorpîn, they were immediately erased. Magorpîn seemed to have realized this too and she let out an un-ladylike curse.

"Aww damnit. I guess I didn't really need to talk…ugh Gandalf is gonna give me hell for this."

"Gandalf knows?!" Bilbo whispered loudly, though he was still very, very aware of the shiny pointy sword that was too close for comfort near his throat. "Gandalf _knows _you're a girl and didn't tell Thorin?!"

"_Woman. _And did you really think that Gandalf would know me for ten years and not know my gender? Please. He came up with this plan, didn't he? Oh and you keep your voice down or I swear I'll cut your little hairy feet up and give them back to you as doilies," she waved her sword one last time before returning it to its sheath.

Not willing to take the chance that she was only making idle threats, Bilbo nodded furiously. The imagery left him a little queasy anyways. Oh how he longed for his hobbit hole already! He gulped down his fear from this insane woman and tried to keep his wits about him.

It took him a long while to suppress the urge to gallop over to the nearest dwarf and tell him about Magorpîn; and even longer to be able to look at Magorpîn without having a Baggins-like meltdown. By the time he was calm enough to speak again, they've already left the Shire. Bilbo had seldom ventured this far east before and normally he would have been excited to see such magnificent country. At the present however, he was much more interested in the man…er _woman_ riding next to him.

The nearest dwarf to them was a good deal ahead, but afraid of having another sword pointed at him again, Bilbo kept his voice above a whisper. "So…is 'Magorpîn' even your real name?"

"Settle down there short-stuff. Just because you know what you know doesn't mean I'm gonna share bedtime stories with you. I have appearances to keep up with and uh…gender identity to hide."

His Tookish side must have been appearing again today for he bravely countered back, "Well you never said I couldn't ask you anything. Besides, it'd be awful lonely if you had no one to talk to in what sounds like a very long journey. And from the looks of it, I'm the only one you get to talk to now that I know that you're not a _man_."

Magorpîn frowned and carefully considered what the hobbit was saying. "Huh. True." But said nothing more.

Bilbo blinked at her blankly. Now that he had solved one mystery involving Magorpîn, more just seemed to appear. They passed through a couple of streams and more rugged country.

"So…is it?"

She huffed. "Is _what_ it?"

"Your name, is it really Magorpîn?"

Realizing that the hobbit was intent in getting her to answer his questions, Buffy finally turned towards him. "Yeah. It is," she sighed tiredly. "But I prefer Buffy."

"_Buffy_," Bilbo repeated. What a strange name… "I like Magorpîn more—"

"I hate it. It's insulting."

"It sounds nice."

"I want to strangle the man who gave it to me."

"Oh…oh I see," Bilbo looked down at his hands awkwardly. "Why did you lie?"

She sighed. "About what, short stuff?"

"First of all, I am of respectable height for a hobbit. And though I have never met any of the race of Men before, I heard that you were short for _your _kind." Buffy looked at him, her lips thinned into an annoyed line. Bilbo suddenly remembered Gandalf's wise words earlier. "Hem…sorry. Gandalf said not to mention anything about your uh…never mind. Secondly, I was referring to your gender. Why did you lie about your gender?"

Buffy decided that getting worked up about her height was not worth the energy so she accepted the apology. "It was Gandalf's idea," she shrugged. "Personally I would've had no issues letting the dwarves know I'll be their resident Snow White, but after all the macho man vibes I got from the dwarves last night and this morning, I can see why pretending to be man was a good idea."

Bilbo frowned at her strange references but agreed whole-heartedly, "Oh yes. Once those dwarves know, _once _Thorin knows that you are what you are he'll kick you out of here before you can draw that sword…_NOT _that I will be the one doing the telling!" he squeaked hurriedly when he felt Buffy's glare underneath the hood. "It's just, well…you don't exactly look like a man."

For some reason or another, that offended Buffy. "What do you mean I don't look like a man?! I thought I did fine last night!"

The hobbit shifted uncomfortably on his saddle. "If I tell you, do you promise to never threaten to turn my feet into doilies again?"

Buffy chuckled at his petulant scowl. "Fine."

"Good. The image was quite uncomfortable."

"That was the point. Okay so, tell me."

"Alright, well…your shoulders are too slender, you don't have an ounce of gruff on your chin, your hands are too small to be a man's, and your lips…"

Buffy reached up to touch them self-consciously. "What about my lips?"

The hobbit peered at them closer and actually found them quite pleasing when it wasn't set at a disdainful sneer. "Er…nothing. Nothing at all other than they look, well…girly."

"I have girly lips?"

"Yes. Oh and your walk."

"I so do not have a girly walk."

"I didn't say you did…but a man doesn't walk like you do," Bilbo shrugged, and urged Myrtle to go faster, leaving Buffy behind. They had fallen way behind the rest of the group.

It barely took a second before caught up with him. "Alright Mr. Man…how exactly do I walk?"

"Hmm, well I suppose it's not how you walk but how you don't. There are some folks of the male-persuasion who walk side to side, or have a bit of a slouch. But no man ever walks with a sway to his hips or with one leg in front of the other. Luckily you've been wearing your coat this entire time to hide the er…hips bit but your cloak don't reach your ankles," now at this, Bilbo had to do a bit of guessing. He'd never actually paid attention to how Buffy walked last night. He was far too busy trying not to get dragged into this adventure in the first place. But he did hope that he delivered his speech well enough for her not to spot his fib.

Buffy was quiet for a while as she thought over what Bilbo said. "Okay, I'll make you a deal. On top of _not _threatening to turn any of your body into crocheted materials, I will also refrain from putting the pointy end of my sword near you if you help me make sure that none of the dwarves suspect anything about me."

Inside, Bilbo cried triumphantly but he managed hold most of it back with a grin. "You drive a hard bargain but you got yourself a deal, Magorpîn. Or should I start calling you Buffy when no one is around?"

He extended out his hand for her to shake it. Buffy stared at his hand for a moment before grasping his hand.

"Yeah…that'd be fine."

Unbeknownst to them, Gandalf saw their last bit of interaction from up ahead. He chuckled to himself, pleased that Buffy and Bilbo's friendship started so early. The hobbit would definitely help Buffy and he would prove to be a steadfast friend. If the wizard had to guess, Bilbo probably already knew of the swordsman true identity and the day was not even over yet!

"Well wouldya look at that lads," Dwalin exclaimed. Apparently the wizard wasn't the only one to notice. "It seems Bilbo had already befriended the mysterious Mister Magorpîn," then more to himself, he muttered, "by gods that was a mouthful."

Those who heard immediately turned and stared at the odd pair. Those who didn't hear saw everyone who did and looked for what they were looking at. Even Thorin looked over his shoulder briefly. Although everyone was too far to hear what Bilbo was saying to Magorpîn, it was clear that Bilbo was quite engaged at what he was talking about. The little burglar was even making hand gestures to prove his point. Now and again Magorpîn would _actually _turn to face Bilbo, but they couldn't tell if he was speaking or not.

The dwarves gossiped what the two were talking about for the rest of the day. Fili and Kili tried their best to join in the 'conversation' that Bilbo and Magorpîn were having but as soon as Magorpîn spotted them, his lips turned grim and Bilbo coughed uncomfortably. To his credit though, the hobbit tried to engage the brothers in a conversation, knowing full well that Buffy always listens.

However, when they started talking about Erebor and the dwarves boasted about their home, Magorpîn's arm suddenly shot out and grabbed Bilbo's coat. Before the hobbit could protest, the man had already angrily hissed under his breath and let go of Bilbo. Fili and Kili were too bewildered to say anything.

"Uh…Magorpîn would like to know where we are stopping for the night." He straightened his jacket as calmly as he could. _The nerve of that woman. _

The dwarves looked at each other, too stunned that Magorpîn actually talked to the hobbit. "We have to make a stop at the Bree to get supplies. Thorin said we're staying over at the Prancing Pony."

Magorpin kicked his feet and got his pony at a sudden sprint. In seconds, he was no more than a blur as he passed by the long line of dwarves and disappeared towards the direction of the Bree. Everyone looked back at Kili, Fili, and Bilbo.

"What did we say?" the brothers asked simultaneously.

* * *

At the pace they were going, it took the dwarves, Bilbo, and Gandalf another few hours before they were able to reach the Shire. It was nearing suppertime by the time they led their ponies to the stable house near the Prancing Pony. Magorpîn's horse was already there, eating his undoubtedly well-deserved oats.

"The man rode as if the devil was at his heels," Thorin muttered to Gandalf as they left the stables

"Nevertheless he is here waiting for us," the wizard replied. "I will be back in an hour. I have some business to attend to."

"He cannot do this when we're out in the Wild, Gandalf," Thorin said angrily, stopping the wizard at his tracks. "He will put all of us in danger."

Gandalf simply nodded then kept walking towards the Green River Pub. He had a feeling that he would find her there.

* * *

Buffy silently nursed her small cup of Middle Earth's version of vodka. Although it took her awhile to start drinking again after her college days, she found that alcohol was actually a good way to unwind after a particularly stressful day. Not that the post-First Evil world had the same apocalypse-a-year disaster from when she was younger…but she still had moments.

Thoughts of her home brought about the same bout of anger and she shot the drink back with one gulp and a wince before signaling the innkeeper for another. A shadow loomed over her, interrupting her thoughts. Buffy drunkenly lift her head up, and saw Gandalf glaring at her. "You're not invitado, amigo."

"And you're not sober," Gandalf pointed out dryly before occupying the seat in front of her. He was confused by her vernacular, but it wouldn't be the first time. His scowl deepened when he noticed that she had already removed her cloak and gloves. All she had on were usual traveling clothes: a long-sleeved burgundy shirt with a leather vest and a pair of dark breeches that were tucked into her knee-high boots.

The innkeeper stopped by with Buffy's round of shots. "These will be her last, thank you."

"Oh come on! I've barely started!"

"Buffy, you and I know your tolerance is pitifully non-existent and I am not about to babysit you for the rest of the night!" She guffawed loudly. "And what about that is so funny?!"

She was wheezing in hysterics while trying to make hand gestures at the same time. "You…holding my hair…toilet!"

It made no sense to Gandalf but he suffered through it patiently until she had nothing but chuckles and sighs. "If you are quite done," he started, "there is something important we need to discuss. You need to stop leaving suddenly just because you had an urge to. It puts everyone on edge and Thorin would have none of it. As won't I."

Buffy's jovial mood turned dark. "I hate it when they start talking about Erebor."

It took the wizard a moment but he finally understood. "Ah. I see. Buffy—"

"Don't. Just…just don't. I only came back because I signed that stupid contract all right? I would rather be traveling the moorlands for the next two years, trying to find a way back home instead of helping someone else get back to theirs. The last thing I need is to be reminded of how great their home is and how _grand_ it's gonna be to have it all back," she snarled back. "They may have a dragon to deal with but at least they have a map."

Gandalf could do nothing more than sigh. She was far too bitter and angry to be reasoned to at the moment and the wizard hoped again that their adventure would ease her anger. "All the same, you cannot leave suddenly without notice when we're out in the Wild. I have a feeling that Smaug is not the only thing that the dwarves and Bilbo will face in this trip and your behavior would put everyone at risk." Buffy didn't move other than to finish her drink. The wizard stood up toe leave. "We leave at first light. I expect you to be at the Prancing Pony _before_ then."

* * *

_Buffy saw the shadows creep and took hold of the desecrated lair. Darkness spread through every crevice and any life that had managed to take hold in the last hundred years withered and died immediately. The shadows kept moving; it expanded and contracted every few seconds, making it seem like it was breathing. _

_Then the shadows began to swirl and swirl in front of her until it took the form of a man. But it was not a man. She knew it was wicked and cruel and delighted in death and was always hungry for power. They thought that it had died long ago, but they were wrong; the necromancer was beyond and above death. It controlled and manipulated it to his will._

_Although she couldn't remember ever having seen it before, she felt like she knew it somehow. "I know you," she murmured._

_It opened what used to be its mouth and let out an ear-piercing shriek as it lunged at her throat. _

"_MINE!"_

The slayer woke up in sweat. She could still feel the icy grip around her neck.

* * *

**A/N:** WOOT! Happy New Year guys. Thank you for all the wonderful reviews; seriously, I get excited reading your thoughts. Also, a special thank you to that someone who recommended my fic to be posted at noveljoy . com. It's really an honor.

Please don't forget to write a review.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Gandalf was pleased to see Buffy in the stables, preparing her pony. She had her hood down and looked haggard but there was energy to her movements that he hadn't seen since three years ago, before she gave up her search. He walked over to her and was about to say something when she interrupted, "I had another dream. But it was different this time; it wasn't anything I've seen before. I think I had one of my slayer dreams."

"Slayer dreams?" Although the wizard was familiar with what Buffy used to be in her world, a chosen warrior of sorts, he had never heard of such dreams.

"They're like warning bells telling me of things to come. They're confusing as all hell but in their own way they're kind of useful."

"What did you dream about?"

She stopped tying the last of the buckles and Gandalf her full attention. "I was in this broken castle…there were shadows, so many shadows but it was moving like it was alive. It swirled and swirled together until it formed a figure of the man…but at the same time some how I knew he was more than a man. Like he _was_ the shadow—"

"Gandalf? Are you in there!?"

Buffy quickly dropped down to put on her hood before finishing up her preparations.

"Yes," the wizard answered back absent-mindedly, too occupied with Buffy's troubling dream to properly berate the dwarf who practically woke up half of Bree with his yelling. "Magorpîn is here too."

_This is quite worrisome indeed…_

They were unable to continue their conversation as the rest of the dwarves came in to quickly prepare their ponies. By the time the first rays of light peeked over the horizon, the group had already left the Prancing Pony and was well on their way towards the East.

Thorin made the ponies run at a quick pace that day to make up for lost time. They stopped for lunch for barely an hour before he urged them to keep moving. Although they were not at full speed, the pace kept everyone from being able to converse with one another until they camped for the night. No one could get down their pony fast enough. A couple muttered, many groaned, but as soon as Bofur started cooking the stew and a warm fire was lit, everyone regained their merry spirits. The dwarves even found Magorpîn in a decent mood for his trademark grim-look was nowhere in sight as he sat near the fire.

Fili, one of the younger dwarves, finally decided that it would only be decent to try and befriend the mysterious man too. After all, if a hobbit could get the reclusive man to talk, why couldn't he? With a warm smile and a mind full of good intentions, he brought over one of his extra pipes and good tobacco over to Magorpîn.

"Hello!" Magorpîn barely nodded in acknowledgement, but Fili still took that a sign to sit next to him. Unfortunately, as soon as Magorpîn took sight of the pipes, the man stood up and left before Fili could take out his pipes to share.

Bilbo, who saw Fili's confused look over the fire, consoled the dwarf before he became angry. "Don't worry about it. Magorpîn's not too fond of tobacco…something about the smoke." The hobbit stood up and followed Magorpîn who was now looking over the cliff.

"You know, it would probably be a good idea if you tried to be nice with the dwarves," he muttered lowly to Buffy. He gave Myrtle a gentle rub on the nose and offered her an apple.

She snorted but didn't turn. "I barely lasted a day with you before you found out my dirty little secret. How fast do you think they'd figure it out once I start hanging with the boys?"

Bilbo shrugged. "I'm just saying it would help once they figure it out."

"Why do you care? I'm in this journey whether they—or I—like it or not."

Bilbo paused his movements. _Why _did_ he care? _The woman had no manners to speak of and she did not inspire him to trust her_. _So he shrugged, "I guess I just do. It's pretty lonely to only have Gandalf and I to talk to. Once they realize that you're a…dare I say it, a _lady_…I think they'd be a little more than mad, don't you?"

The hobbit was confused when Buffy laughed quietly. "Yeah…I think Thorin's gonna shit kittens when he finds out. It would be worth playing nice."

Bilbo made a face. _I'll never look at kittens the same way again._ _Or Thorin for that matter…_

"Uh, I suppose so…I wonder—what's that noise?"

There were several loud shrieks and cries that came from the valley below them. He saw Buffy stiffen next to him, her hand immediately going to the hilt of her sword.

"Orcs..." she hissed with disgust. She hated those creatures; they smelled, they looked gross and their blood always left the most stubborn stains. Her inner-slayer was itching to come out and play; it had been awhile since she'd fought with an orc and the last one was barely even a fight. Buffy wished she could leave for the night and scratch that itch.

Kili, not having heard Buffy's reply, decided to play with the hobbit's fears. "Those are orcs, probably on a night raid. Nasty creatures…they slip into a village in the middle of the night, pillage and plunder, and leave nothing come morn." He snickered to his brother when Bilbo scurried away from the cliff.

Buffy rolled her eyes at their childish antics but said nothing to comfort the hobbit. They were right of course. The orcs had an awful habit of destroying everything they touched. That didn't mean they had to frighten the already skittish hobbit. Thorin apparently felt the same way for he immediately reprimanded the two dwarves for making light of the situation.

"We didn't mean anything by it," Fili tried to appease their leader. He did not want to be the first one to provoke his ire but it was ignored.

Buffy felt, rather than saw, Thorin stand next to her. Before she could do anything to acknowledge his presence, another shriek from the orc raid came from the valley and her grip on the sword tightened. If only she could leave without notice, then she'd be able to—Thorin's heavy hand grabbed her shoulder and interrupted her thoughts. Buffy had to clench her jaw in order to prevent the scathing remark she had for having surprised her; she nearly drew out her sword!

Then she saw the look of understanding on Thorin. She saw his anger; both for the orcs and for his inability to release his fury on them. He gave her shoulder a small squeeze of reassurance and a strange look passed over his face. Thorin opened his mouth as if to say something but changed his mind, and removed his hand instead. He turned his gaze towards the valley.

Buffy nearly sighed aloud. For a moment, she thought that Thorin figured it out. Bilbo was right—her shoulders were too slender to be a man's… Her musings were interrupted when she heard Balin describe how Thorin led the dwarves against Azog the White Orc. It was a victorious battle—but one that had cost too dearly. Along the hundreds of dwarves who gave their lives that day, Thorin lost his grandfather to the terrible White Orc. The death of his grandfather drove Thrain mad with grief and incapable of leading their people. Thorin was left with the pieces of their kingdom and as their final leader….

The rest turned into a muted buzz as Buffy turned her attention back to the dwarf prince. She could see the anger and the pain in his eyes as he became lost in his memories as he overheard Balin recount his history. Although he gained the loyalty and trust of his people that day, Thorin lost his family. It was a terrible price to pay and a heavy burden to carry.

Buffy found herself reaching out and giving Thorin's arm a comforting squeeze. Her actions surprised her more than it did Thorin and she could do nothing more than give him a short nod and walk away. Quickly. She blatantly ignored the strange look she got from Balin as she passed by the old dwarf.

_Damn it, Bilbo. _This was exactly why she shouldn't play nice with the dwarves!

* * *

For the next few days, everyone fell into an easy routine. Whoever was on the last watch would rouse everyone else and by first light, they were off heading eastward. Thorin and Balin once again led the group, followed by the rest of dwarves. Some of the younger dwarves were trying harder and more often to engage Magorpîn, much to Gandalf endless amusement. They've gotten used to the disdainful sneers and his cold shoulder after they realized that the worst he could do was rudely leave. It also gave them something to do while traveling.

Both Gandalf and Magorpîn suspected that Bilbo had something to do with the dwarves' new fascination, though neither could prove it. After the second day of the dwarves' persistence, Magorpîn stopped leaving and simply decided to suffer through their stubborn efforts. There was only so far she could go before they found her. Fortunately their merriment and love of stories was infectious and though loath was she to admit it, it kept her amused. While Magorpîn continued to only talk to Bilbo and Gandalf in hushed whispers, the dwarves were able to earn an amused grin from her more and more often.

She ignored her interaction with Thorin from the first night. It was actually easy to forget the prince's hard past whenever she saw his haughty face and made subtle insults to Bilbo's naïvety. Although it couldn't be help that the genteel hobbit made for an easy target with these rough and hardy folk, Buffy bristled every time she heard Thorin's snide comments. Was it really necessary to keep reminding Bilbo that he was not built for the rough days ahead? Much to the hobbit's credit, he let the insults slide over his back and just walked away.

By the fifth day after their departure from the Bree, the clear blue skies that have accompanied them thus far turned gray. It was pouring hard by noon and everyone's spirits turned sour; no one talked as their voices were quickly drowned by the rain. Even those who had cloaks to keep them dry still had to endure the hard pellets that came down. Suffice it to say, it was a blessed relief when the deluge finally ended.

Thorin mercifully decided to set camp earlier than usual. A round of relieved sighs were heard throughout the company as they began stripping off their wet clothes. Normally, Buffy would've been just as happy and eager to take off the load, but she felt the familiar hum of her slayer-senses come to life, warning her of danger. She looked for Gandalf and spotted him arguing with Thorin inside a dilapidated house. The wizard threw his hands up in exasperation and left, a thunderous look upon his face.

"Where are you going Gandalf?" Bilbo asked, also worried at what happened between Thorin and the wizard.

"To talk to someone who has enough sense around here: me!" Gandalf replied back angrily. He muttered angrily under his breath when he passed by Buffy. "I've had enough of dwarves for one day."

Buffy frowned and turned to look at Thorin, who stared haughtily back before turning around. _Seems like the parentals had a fight. _She left the camp and followed Gandalf; the wizard needed to come back and convince the rest of the dwarves that they had to keep moving.

She nearly had to sprint in order to catch up with the wizard; she always forgot that he could move quickly if he wanted. "Gandalf stop! You can't leave—we're not safe here. Something feels off—"

"I know Magorpîn," he grumbled back and stopped walking.

"Oh good. So, where are you going? Go back and tell them!"

"I already did. Thorin's arrogance prevents him from taking any counsel," he huffed in annoyance.

"How about a consultant's? That's what I'm here for, right? Go back and tell them that this is my professional advice. My spidey-senses are tingling."

Gandalf gave her an exasperated look. "I agree that this area isn't safe, but I do not think it's because of spiders. No one has spotted them for ages in these parts."

"What? No! It's a my-world-reference; never mind," it was Buffy's turn to look annoyed. "Gandalf, we can't stay here. I get you're having a spat with Grumpy over there. Normally I would step in and give my best two cents until he changes his mind but since you decided to be Ursula, I can't. Now get your butt over there and _convince_ him to leave."

He shook his head; even after ten years there were some references that could never be understood. "Unfortunately Magorpîn, Thorin is already set in disregarding any advice we give him, well-founded or not." Gandalf sighed and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Keep watch over them; especially Bilbo." He nodded towards the campsite.

Buffy also turned and spotted Bilbo, who was busy carrying bowls and handing them to the dwarves. "Yeah, he _would_ be the first one—damn it. I hate it when you do that," she griped to the air as Gandalf had already disappeared.

"Stupid wizard," she muttered angrily. "Stupid dwarves."

Buffy stomped back. When she entered the campsite, the fire was already ablaze and the dinner already cooking. Several of the dwarves had already hung their wet clothes up to let them dry.

"No Gandalf, eh?" Bofur asked over his bowl of soup.

She shook her head. Although she was still annoyed with Gandalf, she had to bite her cheek from laughing when Bofur's ridiculous braided moustache nearly caught fire from Bifur's ill-placed match. It didn't help either that Bofur was only wearing a wooly onesie, thereby making him look that much more ridiculous.

"Ey! Watch where you light that, cousin!" Bofur slapped his cousin's hand away and it wasn't long before the two started arguing. Bifur was unable to speak Westron quite as well as his cousin so his complaints were a jumbled mix of Dwarfish and Westron.

Buffy rolled her eyes at the two before she remembered to do a head count of all the members. She scanned the camp, double and triple checking the company. There were three lambs missing and it wasn't until Kili and Fili reentered the camp with a pair of matching guilty looks when Buffy felt her stomach drop.

Without thinking, she strode over to the two and grabbed their cloaks. She roughly shoved the both of them to a tree and snarled. The two brothers protested at the unexpected treatment and everybody else turned to each other, confused at the strange behavior.

"Magorpîn, let them go," Thorin commanded.

Buffy bristled with annoyance and she nearly snapped back where he could shove it but thankfully she was able to control the urge. Fili took her momentary distraction and tried to push her off, but he quickly removed his hands from her chest as if he was burned. Buffy saw his eyes widen with shock and before he could say anything, she shoved them both again before pointing at Bilbo's backpack.

Kili quickly understood and Buffy could tell he was struggling to come up with an excuse. "Oh you're looking for Baggins? Well you see…he uh…we saw him, a bit while ago, and err…"

"He brought us our dinner!" Fili interrupted with a bit too much enthusiasm, although he was still looking at Buffy strangely.

Buffy narrowed her eyes in suspicion but it was Thorin who asked her internal question. "Where _is_ the hobbit?"

The brothers gulped and simultaneously answered. "Back there. Where the trolls are."

Buffy had already sprinted towards Bilbo's direction before the rest of the dwarves could react. She drew her sword in anticipation. Buffy could hear Bilbo's frantic cries—_was he actually _hooting?—through the thick vegetation. Suddenly she came upon a scene she would not soon forget.

Three massive trolls, who looked dumber than the rock they sat on, were struggling to catch the little hobbit. Bilbo looked like he was covered in some form of green slime, and experience had taught the slayer to never ask in situations like these. She scanned the area, looking for any openings. The rest of the dwarves finally caught up behind her.

"We must take them by surprise," she heard Thorin speak authoritatively and she rolled her eyes.

_Well duh Captain Obvious._

"We attack on three."

_Like hell I am._

"One—_damn it Magorpîn_!"

* * *

**A/N: **Well, you can guess what Buffy ended up doing. Again, I apologize for any grammar mistakes. Thank you to everyone who had taken the time to review and added this to their favorite list and/or added follow list. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"We attack on three. One—_damn it Magorpîn_!"

The man had already landed a powerful stroke on the closest troll before the dwarves gathered enough sense to jump in.

Everyone charged in with a loud cry. For the next few moments, it was absolute chaos. The trolls dropped Bilbo in surprise as soon as Magorpîn's cloaked figure appeared seemingly out of nowhere but it was the appearance of the dwarves that had them stumbling around in rage. Most of the dwarves took to hacking and slashing their legs, trying to bring them down. Kili managed to fire several of his arrows but the troll's thick skin prevented them from doing much damage.

Thorin saw Magorpîn choose the higher path: the man swiftly climbed up the trolls and spent his time slashing on a troll's neck. He'd flip over and land gracefully on another one as soon as the previous troll tried to swat him away. He watched Magorpîn's fluid movements as he himself fought by the dwarves; he had never seen any _man_ move like that. Magorpîn moved more like an elf but he had never seen an elf use a sword quite like _that_ either.

All of the sudden, two things happened simultaneously: one of the trolls anticipated Magorpîn's last flip and swatted him while he was in midair. The man disappeared between the trees with a bone-crunching sound. Before anyone could go over and help him, the last two trolls held Bilbo up by his arms and legs threateningly.

"Put yer weapons down, dwarves," the troll grunted. "Or the burrhobbit gets ripped apart."

Thorin glared, angry at having been bested, and threw down his sword. Though he cared little for the hobbit, he would not have his blood on his hands.

"Good! It looks like them stubborn dwarves _can_ listen," another troll smiled gleefully, its broken teeth showing through its grey lips. "Billy! Go get that other 'un. He went lickity splat o'er them bushes there."

"Oi, why do I 'ave to look for 'im? You we're the 'un to swat him like a fly, Bert," William, or Billy as he was nicknamed, complained. "Besides, it's not like he's going nowhere."

The third one grunted in exasperation. "Oh will you two just shut up! We could be enjoyin' a nice dwarf stew and dwarf kabobs by the time you've decided wha' ter do."

William cowed his head apologetically. "Alright, alright keep yer breeches on Tom…I'll be gettin' the slippery 'un." He left in search for Magorpîn.

"Tie up the rest of 'em Bert. We dun't want them dwarves runnin' off. I'll get the pit ready for some delightful dwarf kabobs." The said dwarves looked at each other worriedly, as they soon found themselves tied up in bags courtesy of Bert.

William sprinted back, eyes wide with shock. "The slippery 'un is gone! I can't find the little blighter!"

The dwarves gave each other hopeful looks.

"There may be hope left after all," Ori whispered optimistically behind Thorin. "Magorpîn could've run for Gandalf!"

"Or maybe he just ran off," Dwalin grunted back. Thorin hoped this was not the case. "Either way some of us will be the main dish for these blockheads."

"No way! Magorpîn wouldn't do that. Besides he fought too well and bravely to be a coward," Bofur defended.

"Yeah but we don't even know _him,_" Fili hissed back significantly, but no one caught on to his suggestive tone.

Bert, who began picking up dwarves to tie on a broken tree, cut the rest of the conversation short.

"Oh that's okay. I think we'll have plenty to eat tonight anyways," Tom replied to Billy with a shrug. The troll smacked his lips as he plucked up poor Bombur. "Now this one looks like he got some fat in him…delicious!"

"There be no mutton tonight boys!"

* * *

Buffy grunted as she limped back to their campsite. Although she didn't want to leave the rest of the dwarves, she knew she was in no shape to fight three trolls by herself. She was sporting several cracked ribs as well as a sprained ankle from when she was swatted from mid-air. Buffy licked her lips and felt a fat lip coming on.

_Damn._

To top it all off, none of her weapons were long enough to penetrate the trolls' thick skins and it was hard enough to get a good aim at their eyes. They bumbled around too much to be a steady target. She knew she had to find Gandalf, quick. The wizard was the only one who could help them from this mess. Buffy spotted the wizard's horse and thanked her blessings that it was still saddled. Riding with bruised ribs would already be painful enough. She limped towards it and managed to swing herself up with another grunt.

"Alright, boy; let's go find Gandalf."

It somehow understood her instructions and the urgency of the situation for it quickly sprinted to the same direction that Gandalf disappeared to. Buffy gritted her teeth at the sudden movement, but she could already feel her ankle healing. Pretty soon her bruises would also disappear. _Thank goodness for slayer healing._

It didn't take long before they found the wizard. By the time they reached Gandalf, Buffy's ankle was fully healed and Buffy was no longer gasping in pain every time the horse trotted.

"Gandalf, there are trolls near the camp. They took everyone and I'm pretty sure they're gonna be tonight's take out."

"Trolls? Down this far from the mountains?" the wizard muttered worriedly. "Are you sure?"

"Do I look like I'm kidding right now?" she snarled back impatiently.

Gandalf finally took notice of her bruised lip and shook his head. "No…This is a troublesome sign. Buffy, you must go back and buy me some time. Dawn will be our ally."

"Fine, but be on time Gandalf. I don't want to be dessert," Buffy turned the horse around and headed back to where the trolls were. She ran as fast as she could back through the forest and was glad to see that all of the dwarves were still accounted for, though some are a bit worse for wear.

"Ohh is it done yet, Tom? Me stomach's rumblin'. We haven't had a single morsel!"

"Shut yer yappin'. They'd be done when they're done."

"Yeh and we'd be done stone too if we don't get back before dawn."

Buffy smirked as she overheard this. All she needs to do is stall, but how? She would have loved to take the verbal approach on this one but should she risk revealing her identity? Realizing that this might be the only way, she drew out her sword and prepared to unleash her everlasting wit.

"Oh that's a bad idea, you wouldn't want to use sage on the dwarves! Have you smelt them? It's gonna take something a lot stronger than sage before you can plate them up," Bilbo suddenly stood up and began to barter with the trolls, giving them advice on how to best serve dwarf.

She was surprised…as were the rest of the dwarves. While the dwarves protested with indignant anger at Bilbo's suggestions on how to eat them, Buffy grinned proudly. _Classic stalling_. The hobbit did have some good sense on him after all. Plus, it was a fine sight watching Thorin squirm in his sack with furyd.

"Bah! I've eaten plenty of raw dwarves before! Nothing wrong with a little red in the meat," Billy grinned and grabbed poor Gloin. "Now this one looks mighty tasty!"

Buffy gripped her sword tightly, ready to jump in should anything go wrong.

"NO! That one has uh…has parasites. He's got parasites in his tubes. In fact, they've all got parasites-a rather nasty business. I wouldn't even dare eating them if I were you."

The dwarves began protesting even louder, and both Buffy and Bilbo rolled their eyes at their antics. These guys don't know how to play to their captor's dim wits…Luckily, Thorin _finally_ understood Bilbo's plan and kicked everyone hard.

"Are you playing us for a fool, you ferret? I suppose you just want to just, let them go then, all still livin'?"

Bilbo shrugged and grinned nervously. "Well, uh…yes?"

Unfortunately, his stalling technique finally ended; having realized what he was doing, the trolls were enraged and made a swipe for Bilbo. The hobbit was unable to dodge Tom's hand and yelped as he tried to wriggle his way out. Without further ado, Buffy burst in and made a deep strike with her sword against the troll's hand. Tom roared in pain and let go of Bilbo in shock. The hobbit landed with a thud but his groan told Buffy that he would be fine. She started running on the troll's arm and towards its shoulder. She heard the dwarves whoop in celebration and felt them watch her every move.

"Oh thank god…" Bilbo sighed, relieved to have somebody else work out their escape.

"It's 'im! The slippery 'un is back!"

"OOOh! I knew we should 'ave squished him when we got the cha—oww!"

Buffy felt the rush of adrenaline course through her and nearly laughed with glee. It's been far too long since she'd slayed anything she knew it would be a genuine relief to let out some steam. She drove her sword through one of the troll's shoulder, causing him to yelp in pain. Unfortunately, Buffy miscalculated its thick skin and took a second too long trying to remove her sword. By the time she drew it out, the troll had already caught her.

"What a little bugger!"

"Let's see what you can do now without any arms!"

"Wait!" The other two trolls turned at Tom in confusion. "Take off his hood. I wanna see 'im squeal when we pull his arms off!"

_Where is Gandalf?_ Buffy snarled internally as she struggled against the troll's fingers.

"I wouldn't do that either!" Bilbo interrupted frantically, practically hopping in his sack.

"Oh what now!?" one of the trolls sneered. "Does this one have parasites too?"

"No, he's just cursed. His face is full of green scales and nasty boils. I uh…heard whoever looks at his face turns into stone! That's why he's had to wear that cloak!"

"The fuck Bilbo?" Buffy hissed under her breath as the other dwarves began chiming in their own opinion. _Scales and boils? Seriously?!_

But apparently Bilbo said something right, for the trolls were beside themselves trying to get rid of her. They dropped her unexpectedly and Buffy barely had time to roll over in order to avoid being trampled on. The trolls were too frantic in trying to squish her and get away from her at the same time that she didn't have a chance to even land a blow.

Suddenly, Gandalf's voice rang out over a rock, "May the dawn take you all!" A loud crack resounded throughout the troll's campsite and the troll's screamed in agony. His staff broke a boulder in half, allowing the light from the rising sun touch upon the trolls. They crouched in pain then suddenly, they were all stone!

"Ahh…I seem to have kept my knack for perfect timing," Gandalf congratulated himself as he stepped down from the boulder he just broke. Buffy rolled her eyes and sheathed her sword before proceeding to help Gandalf untie the hobbit and the dwarves.

With a flick of her hand, Bilbo was freed from his bindings. "Scales, Bilbo? I moisturize everyday thank you very much," she pouted.

"Well, I've never seen your face. How should I know?" The hobbit shrugged, though he was quite relieved to see that she was walking fine. Bilbo saw how the troll had hit her earlier. His eyes flickered over to her bruised lip and felt guilty. "I'm sorry…about your lip." And he meant this sincerely.

"Job hazard." She gave him a smile, although she did grimace when she felt her lips stretch uncomfortably. "You did good, short stuff. Better than the dwarves."

Bilbo flushed with pride and Buffy left him to untie the rest of the dwarves. She quickly found herself being congratulated and thanked by several of them. Some even asked how she moved liked that and if she could show them some pointers. Dwalin was exceptionally excited when she nodded that yes, she could indeed use an axe just as well as she could use a sword.

"Lads!" Thorin suddenly called out, interrupting their celebration. "We must find the trolls' cave—it may have some use for us." Buffy sheathed her dagger and turned to follow the rest of the dwarves when Kili and Fili pulled her to the side.

"I do believe Thorin just said 'lads', _Magorpîn_," Fili pointed a finger at her accusingly. Everybody else had left the troll campsite, leaving just the brothers and her behind.

"Hmm, I thought it was more of a general term than anything else," she quipped back. They already guessed her gender, might as well confirm it, right?

Kili's mouth dropped open in shock when he heard her voice. "Your voice…I didn't think…what…_how?"_

"I knew it!"

Buffy frowned and crossed her arms. "You mean you grabbing my boobs earlier wasn't enough of a confirmation?"

Kili whipped his head towards his brother so fast that Buffy was surprised he didn't get whiplash. "You touched the lady's…_melons_?" Fili turned bright red, and struggled to find the right words to defend himself.

"Well, as much as I like watching you struggle right now and how weird it is to have my boobs be referred to as a fruit, I want to move on to an important part of this conversation. You can't tell Thorin. Or anybody else. So there will be no 'lady' calling."

"And why shouldn't we? The rest of the company deserves to know…_especially _Thorin," Fili said haughtily; he was glad to have finally found his tongue again.

"Because I saved your butts and you owe me; isn't there like a warrior's code for that? And besides, Gandalf said I needed to wait for the right time to let all of you. You and Bilbo were a little ahead of schedule."

"Is there a problem, my friends?" Gandalf suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

"You _knew_ Gandalf?!" Kili and Fili hissed simultaneously as they pointed at Magorpîn.

Gandalf raised a brow at her after realizing what they were referring to. "Do you actually understand what 'secrecy' means, Magorpîn?"

"Wha—!? Fili _touched _my lady melons!"

The wizard struggled to keep a straight face. "Fili, I expected more from you. Such uncouth behavior," Gandalf looked pointedly at the blushing dwarf. "Now if you are all finished making sure that Magorpîn is actually a woman, I would like to remind you that her presence in this company remains to be an essential role for the journey. If you compromise her position by telling Thorin, you might as well forget about reaching Erebor."

Kili and Fili looked at each other worriedly. "Are you sure Gandalf? Thorin would be quite—"

"You can leave your uncle to me. He will eventually learn of the truth but now is not the time. Magorpîn is a skilled and experienced warrior, as we just saw. We will need her."

Buffy shifted uncomfortably on her feet. It's been awhile since anyone said that about her…it felt _nice._

"I hope you're right Gandalf," Fili said solemnly before giving Buffy a quick bow. "I apologize for touching your—"

"If you say 'melons' again I will break you."

Fili closed his mouth promptly, blushed again, and urged his brother to help search for the trolls' cave before he quickly turned around and left. Kili stayed a second behind and bowed lowly in front of Buffy.

"At your service, Lady Magorpîn." He gave her a charming smile and a flirtatious wink before following his brother.

Buffy shook her head. _Dwarves. _She turned to Gandalf, who was the only one left in the camp. "Well that's two dwarves down, twelve to go I suppose."

"Hmm, you might have convinced three dwarves. I have a feeling Balin has an idea about your ah…feminine side."

"Oh."

"But if Thorin hasn't said anything by now, it would seem that Balin has kept mum about it. Though it might be prudent just the same if I was to have a word or two about it with him."

"Awesome…where's the troll cave?"

"Follow your nose, my dear. It will smell worse than this place."

"I was afraid you were gonna say that." She sighed but started walking.

* * *

**A/N: **YAY! More dwarf-Buffy interactions. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, not much of a cliffhanger but stay tuned! Things are about to get a little crazy. Thank you for all the awesome reviews.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

_True courage isn't about knowing when to take a life, it's about knowing when to spare one. _

Bilbo clutched his sword nervously. They've finally found where the trolls stayed during the day, and the dwarves who went down with Gandalf were now just coming out of the wretched hole. The hobbit was surprised to receive a blade from Gandalf and although he could tell that a fine craftsman made it, his first reflex was to give the weapon back to him.

_It is of elvish make, which means that the blade will glow blue if orcs or goblins are nearby._

Bilbo looked at the blade. Using this meant that he didn't have to be the burden that everyone had to look out for. Learning how to wield it meant that he could protect himself when the others couldn't. This could be the difference between life or death…but, _a respectable hobbit does not unexpectedly picks up weaponry either._

He sighed and placed the blade away. Perhaps the trolls would be the worst of it all and he wouldn't need to know how to wield the sword after all. Satisfied with himself, Bilbo searched for Buffy's familiar figure and was surprised to see her interacting with Kili and Fili.

It didn't take long for the hobbit to realize that the brothers had discovered her secret. _She really is awful at pretending to be a man, _he thought to himself. As he came closer, it became clear that while Buffy still refused to speak near other dwarves, she was actively listening to Kili.

Bilbo coughed to get their attention. "I see you guys have, err…met?"

"Oh Master Baggins, it truly is fascinating!" Kili greeted loudly. "To think that someone so skilled with the sword is a woman. It is rare to see female warriors, much less travel with one."

"Yes, well if you're so aware of the situation, we all have to keep quiet about it," Bilbo hissed back. He could feel Buffy's stare, and he felt a necessary desire to defend himself. "You said that I had to help you convince the others that you are a man. I failed with these two but a hobbit keeps to his word."

"Don't be too hard with yourself short-stuff; these two weren't your fault. Right Fili?" The dwarf only nodded, but Bilbo's keen eyes saw a shade of red creeping on Fili's face. His brother snickered and Bilbo was unexpectedly annoyed that he was missing something.

Just as when the hobbit could ask what happen, somebody cried, "Someone's coming!"

Everybody drew their weapons and while Bilbo struggled to take out his, the rustling sounds grew closer and closer. Suddenly out from the bushes came one of the strangest sights he's seen! An old man pulled by a fleet of rabbits jumped out of the bushes, a slightly panicked face about him.

"Radagast the Brown! What are you doing here?" Gandalf greeted. Bilbo saw Thorin walk up to the two men and after a few words, he stomped away with a glower. After realizing that the two knew each other and that 'Radagast' was here for Gandalf, the tension broke and everybody went back to their previous conversations.

However, Bilbo saw that Buffy stood up and head towards them.

"That is wizard-business. Where does she think she's going?" Fili finally muttered.

Bilbo raised a brow. "Clearly you don't know her as well as you think."

* * *

Buffy was glad that Gandalf did not try to usher her away like he did with Thorin. She knew Radagast; in fact, he was one of the wizards that helped heal her all those years ago. After Gandalf found her in Greenwood, he took her sickened form to Radagast. Although his herbs did not completely heal her, it did ease her pain and bought them the time they needed in order to travel to Rivendell. He even helped her with her quest to go home, in spite of the fact that he really had little information.

"Radagast," she greeted and grabbed his hand warmly. Buffy may like the odd wizard but he still had crusted bird droppings on his face…

"Oh! Buffy! How are you my dear? I didn't know you'd be traveling with Mithrandir, otherwise I'd have brought—ow!" Radagast rubbed his shin. Gandalf had used his staff to nudge Radagast's shin. Hard.

The grey wizard coughed. "Magorpîn is in a secret mission; her identity as a woman must be concealed Radagast and I implore you to keep your voice down."

"Ooh I see…well good luck in your secret mission, Magorpîn!"

Buffy grinned while Gandalf sighed in exasperation.

"So what brings you out here, Radagast?"

The wizard's cheery face suddenly turned solemn, "I bring ill news to you both. Very ill…"

Radagast described the presence of spiders at his own home in Rhosgobel and that they came from the forests of Greenwood. Only now the elves have renamed it Mirkwood for something evil had settled there. The life in his forest was dying; the flora had withered and the fauna had fled. The wizard paused, lost in his own thoughts.

Buffy barely noticed the wizard's daze. Her mind turned back to her own dream of swirling shadows and dying plants. It wasn't until Radagast coughed loudly when she returned her focus. What she heard next however, turned her blood cold.

"I found myself following the path to the ruins of Dol Guldur and what I found there Gandalf, was something beyond death. It was able to bring life back into the dead…He is back, Gandalf. The necromancer returns."

"Don't be ridiculous, Radagast. He had been destroyed ages ago."

"No," Buffy finally murmured. "Gandalf, I think this is what my dream was trying to tell me. Whatever Radagast saw, it's true." Gandalf still did not looked convinced, though she could tell that he was starting to worry.

"I also found this as proof." Radagast took out a parcel wrapped in leather bindings.

As Gandalf slowly opened the item, Buffy felt whatever that was inside reaching out to her. Calling for her. It wanted her to take it…but something felt _off_ about it. The thing came from a darker power. Yet, all the same she still found herself reaching out for it. Gandalf saw her movements and quickly covered it back and hid it within his cloak. He gave her an angry glare and before he could rebuke her actions, she whispered, suddenly frightened.

"It _called_ to me."

His face turned to ash.

Then a wolf howled from a distance.

"Th-there a wolves out here?" Bilbo's voice snapped Buffy out of her state. Whatever she felt earlier, she would have to analyze later. She is not going to lose the hobbit this time around.

A massive wolf jumped out of a bush and launched itself towards Thorin. The dwarf stunned it with a hard blow to its skull before driving his sword into the warg. A second wolf jumped out behind Thorin, and Kili managed to launch an arrow straight to its eye just in time.

"Wargs," Thorin spat. "They look like scouts which means an orc pack may not be far behind."

Buffy sprinted over to the trembling hobbit and hissed lowly. "Grab your things. Fast." She barely registered him nod his head before one of the other dwarves yelled that their ponies were gone.

"Orc pack! Who did you tell other than your kin about this journey?" Gandalf grabbed Thorin angrily.

"I told no one! Why? What in Durin's name is going on?"

"We are being hunted. We have to leave. Now!" Gandalf urged the rest of dwarves. Everyone frantically picked up what they could carry.

"I will draw them off."

"Those are wargs out there! They will out run you."

Radagast gave Gandalf a maniacal grin. "These are Rhosgobel rabbits. I'd like to see them try." And with a whoop Radagast left the company. Everybody waited in tense silence as they heard the wargs follow the brown wizard out of the forest. Then everybody sprinted out of there too.

They soon broke out into brush-land. While they lost the rocky undergrowth and the hidden roots, they also lost any form of cover. Radagast may have drawn them off, but they would still be easy to spot if they weren't careful.

Thorin led the group followed by the quicker dwarves. Gandalf stayed in the middle while Buffy kept at the rear. She watched Bilbo closely and was there when he stumbled through the unpredictable landscape. Thankfully, hobbits were sure-footed and it was only because Bilbo panicked that he lost his balance. They all managed to keep a close group as they ran.

Several times Radagast unexpectedly took a sharp turn in order to avoid the section of wargs trying to flank him. Their company had to make several quick detours and stop by a large boulder. They paused as they tried to catch their breaths but it wasn't long before Thorin gave the signal to start running again. They jumped over another massive boulder. Thorin didn't see the last swerve that Radagast made and the dwarf had to grab Ori from running out of their cover and exposing themselves. They were forced to take reprieve under the rock.

Buffy felt her senses prickle behind her neck and she turned just in time to fling a silver throwing knife into a warg's eye as Kili shot down the rider. Unfortunately the warg howled loudly, giving away their location. Buffy drew out her sword and cut the warg's neck, severing its vocal chords and killing it with one strike. She retrieved the throwing knife that was lodged in its eye. The damage was done, however, and Buffy knew that their location was given away. This was only confirmed when they heard the snarling and whooping of the orcs come closer.

"This way!" Thorin led them to towards a cluster of large rocks, but immediately had to stop. They were suddenly surrounded.

"Where is Gandalf?!" Dori asked frantically.

"Oh he picked up a perfect time to disappear," Dwalin grunted as he took out his ax.

Buffy sighed; this was typical of Gandalf but she knew he was nearby. "Bilbo, stay behind me," she whispered harshly towards the hobbit who could only nod. "I will protect you but anything that gets pass me, you use that sword. Aim for the eyes or the neck."

Bilbo gulped and drew his sword out. He was seriously rethinking about his earlier decision to avoid learning how to properly wield his blade. He cursed how sweaty his palms felt. It made holding the damn thing that much harder! Should he survive this attack, Bilbo swore he's going to force Buffy to teach him how to fight proper.

Then the first warg lunged at the closest dwarf and everything moved too quickly for the hobbit to understand. Everyone had drawn out their weapon of choice and defended themselves as best as they could. Bilbo heard the unmistakable sounds of axes slicing the air and swords clashing against each other. He saw some of Kili's arrows hit their mark true and even saw Ori's slingshot knock a rider off its warg! The hobbit heard Thorin's battle cry as he swung his new sword and cut off a rider's head clean off. It was all incredibly gruesome and brutal, and Bilbo knew he haven't the stomach for such violence.

Then he saw Buffy _move_.

She was amazing when she fought off the trolls, but this was entirely at a different level. It was almost…_breathtaking. _She knocked off arrows in mid-air as if they were flies and she lodged her throwing knives like she was playing darts at the local pub. The hobbit could've sworn there were moments when she wasn't even looking at where she shot but her knives landed precisely where she meant it to be!

Nothing could touch her; it was like she knew the orc's movements even before the orc did. Buffy leaped _on_ wargs and moved her sword so fast shewas nothing more than a mere blur. Here in one moment, gone the next. Her movements were so graceful that Bilbo would have thought that he was watching someone dance if it wasn't for the trail of carnage she left behind.

"By Durin, did you know he could move like that?" Balin exclaimed to Thorin.

"No." Bilbo thought he heard something akin to wonder in Thorin's voice. "I didn't know _anybody_ could move like that."

"Over here!" Gandalf's familiar voice cut through his thoughts and he had never been so relieved. The wizard was standing by a large boulder but it wasn't until Bilbo ran towards him that he realized that there was a passageway underneath. Bilbo sheathed his sword and slid down to the tunnel. He heard Thorin call for the rest of the dwarves and the rest of the company quickly followed suit. Kili was the last one to come in with group.

Above the opening stood Thorin who was waiting for the final fighter. "Magorpîn hurry! Magorpîn _NO!"_ Bilbo heard a warg growl and a blood-curdling scream from above.

Everybody looked at each other worriedly and a second later Thorin came tumbling down the opening. When he finally landed, he did nothing more than sit up, his face stunned at what just happened. A streak of blood was running down his face.

"Where are you hit?" Balin asked; it did not look like any other wounds he had seen before.

"The blood's not mine," he grunted and he briefly made eye contact with Bilbo before looking at Gandalf. "It's Magorpîn's. He has fallen."

Bilbo felt very faint.

* * *

**A/N: **Please review my wonderful readers! And stay tuned for the next couple of chapters; things get a little crazy.

Somebody asked why it was important that Buffy hide her gender. It's actually pretty simple: Thorin would not have allowed any females in this quest (or rather, I don't see him letting a female join in). The dwarves in this quest firmly believe that they are going to be fighting a dragons. Based on what I've seen of LotR, the battlefield is very male-dominated and it would have been 'out of place' for a woman to fight along with them. And since Gandalf already had to convince Thorin to take a 'useless' hobbit, it made sense to me to pretend that she was a guy to make things easier.

I hope that explanation helps, but if not, I would be more than happy to discuss it further!


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

"It's Magorpîn's. He has fallen."

"_No…"_ One of the dwarves whispered, though no one could tell who it was. The dwarves murmured amongst themselves in disbelief.

"How?" Bilbo whispered, choking back an unexpected sob. His mind kept flashing back to how fast Magorpîn moved and her promise to keep him safe…he couldn't grasp how she could be gone.

Thorin stood up, guilt written all over his face. "There was an orc ready to throw his ax at me. I was able to move in time, but I failed to see the warg coming…Magorpîn didn't and he pushed me in right before I saw him get bit by that damn wolf. He is dead."

A loud shriek came from above and a dead orc tumbled through the entrance, an arrow lodged into its head.

Dori recognized the arrow. "Elves…"

Thorin did not seem to have heard, still shocked at the sudden loss of a warrior they were just beginning to know. The sounds of hooves thundered above them, followed by the wails and howls of the orcs and wargs.

"We must move," Gandalf ushered them through the tunnel. "Come Bilbo."

"She's still up there, Gandalf," Bilbo found himself hissing. He'd never lost a friend to battle before but leaving her body behind felt so wrong. "We have to—"

"We have no time," Thorin snapped angrily, finally regaining his sense. "Move, hobbit."

"Magorpîn's in good hands now." Gandalf glanced at Thorin, who did nothing more than clench his jaw.

Hot, indignant anger coursed through him. _Gandalf speaks as if Buffy was already with the angels...as if she had not just been brutally killed. _Bilbo started walking but swallowed the tears that were threatening to come out.

The hobbit glared at the back of Thorin's head as they walked through the tight space. It felt so…_wrong_ leaving her body up there to be eaten by wargs_. _Bilbo looked at the rest of the dwarves. Everyone had a solemn air, and once in a while, a dwarf would look back from whence they came. Part of Bilbo was satisfied to know that even the dwarves thought it wrong to leave Magorpîn's body behind. He was about to give his piece of mind to Gandalf, but one look at his dark face, and he changed his shut his mouth.

Then the crack opened to an amazing sight.

"Here stands the Last Homely House West of the Mountains. In Westron, it's called Karningul but it is also known by its other name—"

"Rivendell," Bilbo could not help himself murmur in wonder. _Elves…they were near elves!_ Even from this far away, he could smell the freshness of the water and feel the spray from the multiple falls from this far up. Rivendell looks heavenly and peaceful. Just the kind of place he would love to retire to.

Bilbo clenched his jaw, _Buffy would have liked this place…_

In spite of the loss of their friend, he could tell that everyone was astonished. Everyone that is, except Thorin.

"So _this_ was your purpose," Thorin growled, his patience long gone. "The elves will not condone our quest and I do not want their help. Twice they've failed to aid my brethren, what makes you think I'd want to be anywhere near their kingdom?"

"Of course they're not going to approve of our journey, but there are some things that are beyond my knowledge. Whether you like it or not, we need their help and the only hostility here is the one you bring, Thorin Oakenshield," the wizard huffed and urged the rest to keep going.

It took them a good hour to walk down from the hidden passage and enter the front gates. Bilbo, tired as he was, refused to show his fatigue to the rest of the dwarves. He walked like the best of them, though he wondered if it would be asking too much if they were finally going to have a bed and a hot meal on a proper table tonight.

A tall, dark-haired elf came down the main stairs and greeted Gandalf in Sindarin. Bilbo noticed that the elf barely flickered an eye at the rest of the company, and the hobbit wasn't the only one to realize his blatant behavior. The dwarves bristled and if it was possible, Thorin's glower turned darker.

"Greetings to you my friend," Gandalf replied back pointedly in Westron and with a bow. "We are here to see Lord Elrond."

The elf stiffened and gave a strained smile. "My Lord Elrond is not here. He is—"

A loud horn blasted through the valley, signaling the arrival of a troop of elves. The dwarves however, took this sound as similar to a battle horn and went into a defensive formation. For the second time that day, Bilbo found himself being shoved behind with Ori as the rest of the dwarves formed a circle, their swords drawn. Although the hobbit thought that they looked like a formidable sight, they were quickly surrounded by tall elves on tall horses.

Bilbo knew that hobbits were one of the shorter races, but he had never felt quite so small as today.

One of the elves on horseback rode pass them carrying the familiar cloaked form of Magorpîn. Everyone looked at him; there was blood everywhere. He was wrapped in white linen that had already turned red. His clothing were in shreds and his cloak took the worst of it. The dwarves shuddered to think at the amount of injuries he had sustained before finally dying.

Then, the movement of the horse caused his hood to fall off revealing Magorpîn's face. Though brief, everyone managed to see enough of his features to realize that he was actually a _she._ Her slender nose and soft cheekbones somehow made her mouth—the only feature they were familiar with—suddenly look all too feminine. They saw her golden hair caked with a mixture of orc, warg, and her own blood. Purple bruises were beginning to appear on the side of her neck before disappearing under her clothes.

Soon they were out of sight, leaving nothing but a trail of her blood on the stony pathway.

Everyone took a startled breath and murmured amongst themselves. Bilbo turned just in time to see the Thorin's face turn ash.

"By Durin…she's nothing more than a mere lass."

"Could it really be…?"

"Where are you taking her?" Dwalin sputtered angrily. "He—_she _is our friend and we demand her body back!"

"Dwalin is right. That…woman saved my life today and she deserves to be buried properly," Thorin demanded fiercely, though Gandalf could see his guilt.

There was elf wearing a golden circlet that was conversing with Gandalf. He gave the dwarf-prince a respectful nod after hearing his insistence. "Greetings Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror. I welcome you and your company to my humble home. I assure you, I am quite familiar with your friend for she has long been mine. And she does not need to be buried for she is alive. Badly injured, yes, but she managed to kill the warg that had her before we even got to there. Magorpîn will live so long as my healers tend to her."

Bilbo's knees buckled with relief. _Buffy…she lives! _He turned just in time to see the relief and the conflicting shame play on Thorin's face.

"S-she is not dead?" Thorin whispered, more to himself than to anyone. "Had that warg not killed her then my actions surely would have. I thank you, Master Elf, for bringing Magorpîn back here and saving her. May I inquire the name of our host?" Everybody looked at Thorin in surprise. Even Gandalf did not expect something quite so civil. Inwardly, the wizard smiled. Then Thorin continued, "My fathers have never mentioned you."

_Damn the stubbornness of dwarves! _Gandalf glared at Thorin.

The elf however simply smiled and ignored the subtle insult. "I am Lord Elrond, Master of this House. Do not worry about Magorpîn. She has a strong heart and heals quickly; it would take more than a warg to bring her down. Now come my friends; eat and rest. It sounds like you have journeyed far."

* * *

Buffy inhaled deeply and she could feel herself waking up from her dreamless sleep. She was lying on a bed in a familiar looking room. She sighed contentedly and softly stretched her muscles. Experience had taught her the feeling of bandages and she was definitely bandaged up.

Buffy made a mental count of her injuries.

_Cracked ribs._

_Broken shoulder._

_Sprained wrist._

_Probably some internal trauma…Fucking warg. _

She felt a soft breeze in the room and it brought the smell of fresh rivers and old trees, allowing her to momentarily forget about her wounds. It's been a while since she's last slept in such comfortable beddings…the elves knew a thing or two about heavenly comforts.

"It was a fine thing you did, saving Thorin," Gandalf's voice interrupted any thoughts of trying to sleep again.

She sighed and turned her head to face Gandalf. There was no use trying to move everything else around; Buffy had felt the warg's teeth cut deep into her shoulder before she killed it. Besides, the herbs that the elves gave her had left her feeling lethargic.

"No personal thank you from the dwarf-prince himself?" Buffy rasped out. She maybe under sedation, but she could remember the pain from her bones cracking under the warg's teeth.

_Adding bruised throat to the list._

"Do not be so harsh on him," though Gandalf's voice was soft and without rebuke. He brought a glass of water near her lips and she took it gratefully. "He's already punishing himself for letting a _woman_ nearly die in exchange for his life."

This made her pause, and she chose to ignore the ever-present chauvinism in this world. "They know?"

"Quite simply: yes. And I have a ringing eardrum to prove all the yelling I've had to endure."

"It was your idea," Buffy pointed out. "Did the rest make it okay?"

"Yes, everyone is in one piece. Although I fear your supposed death shocked poor Bilbo. He will try to see you as soon as he possibly can once he hears that you're awake." Buffy nodded, glad to hear that the hobbit was safe. "Actually, everyone would be trying to see you once they hear you're awake…"

"Well…you better not let them hear it for awhile." Buffy yawned loudly. "I'm not really awake right now."

The wizard took her subtle dismissal with a nod. "I'll let the others know." He was about to close the door when Buffy's voice stopped him.

"Did you know that the elves were going to be there?"

"Of course," Gandalf replied as convincingly as he could but did not turn.

* * *

Thorin was the first one to see Gandalf return from Magorpîn's room. It was already the day after their arrival in Rivendell and the healers finally deemed Magorpîn's health stable enough for one visit. Everybody had been on edge ever since they knew that Magorpîn was alive, even more so now that they realized that he was actually a _she_. And while the fact that she was receiving the best elfish medicine and healers in Middle Earth was comforting, none of the dwarves enjoyed their meal or rest last night.

It was the young burglar who inquired for Magorpîn's health first. "How is…is she alright, Gandalf?"

Gandalf patted Bilbo's shoulder comfortingly but turned to address everyone. "What Lord Elrond said was true; Magorpîn will heal though she is not in the state for visitors. I had a few words with her and she was happy to know that everyone made it to Rivendell."

The dwarf-prince sighed with relief, but the guilt of having her blood on his hands still plagued him. Images of her fragile form crossed his mind and his anger at Gandalf returned. This meddling wizard had made him responsible for a _woman_ in his company—without his knowledge! Confound it all. He shot Gandalf another glower before leaving the company. They had already argued, debated, and discussed the wizard's reasons for hiding Magorpîn's true identity from them for most of yesterday but the temptation to bludgeon the wizard was becoming too great to ignore.

Thorin eventually found himself standing in front of _her_ door a little past midnight. He knew that she wasn't ready for visitors, but a part of him needed to see her. Thorin needed to appease the inconsolable part of his mind that Magorpîn was actually a _she_ and to remind himself that _she_ was still alive.

With a sigh, he opened the door to his savior.

It was dark in the room with nothing but the dim light of the moon illuminating the walls. He ignored the lamp that was nearby, preferring not to disturb Magorpîn from her sleep. He crept slowly, afraid to look at the cost of saving his life. Thorin Oakenshield was a dwarf who knew his worth and who had dwarves swearing their life as they followed him to battle. But this _girl_ did not know him, had not pledged loyalty, and still she almost died protecting him.

Her selfless act had left him very shaken.

Like the other dwarves in his company, he had often pondered what Magorpîn looked like under his cloak and grim frowns. Was he a man who carried scars so hideous he did not dare show his face? Did he resemble the pirates from South, wearing tattoos and gaudy piercings? He thought back to what Bilbo had said at the troll camp…_scales and boils._ Yes, the hobbit's guess was as good as theirs.

As Thorin finally stood near her bed, he almost laughed at how incredibly inaccurate they all were. There in front of him lied Magorpîn without the cloak and dried blood.

His knees buckled at the sight of her, and he told himself that it was from relief that she was alive.

She had no tattoos or piercings to speak of and there were definitely no boils or scales to be found. Her hair shone like fine gold even under the moon and it no longer resembled the bloodied mess they saw earlier. His heart squeezed painfully tight. It reminded him too much of the songs of Erebor, and something akin to longing took hold in his heart, but he refused acknowledge such sentiment.

She looked impossibly small and fragile; could this really be the warrior who fought with him today? Magorpîn moved with such grace and deadly strength that it was almost impossible to believe that this _was _Magorpîn.

Thorin's eyes flickered over to the dark bruises that formed on her neck and spread under the bandages. This was her proof that she was that same warrior, capable of fighting off wargs and orcs better than any Man, Dwarf, or Elf he had ever seen. He and Balin were right. No _man_ could ever move like that…

A raspy sigh escaped from Magorpîn and the dwarf-prince found himself staring at her lips. It was still set in its usual frown and Thorin wondered what she would look like with a smile. Somehow he knew it would fit her much better. His hand moved of its own accord and it wasn't until he touched her lips that he realized that he had even moved at all. But by then he couldn't stop. With the softest of touches that even he did not know he was capable of, he traced her the curve of her mouth and admired the silky feel.

"Who _are_ you?" Thorin murmured to himself. His fingers briefly touched her smooth jaw before withdrawing his hand.

Magorpîn was full of contradictions and Thorin wished he could understand. He saw her eyes flicker and knew it was time to go. With regret, he turned around and left.

His heart was heavy with the thought that he would never see her again.

* * *

**A/N:** So how did I do with Thorin's reaction to Buffy's reveal? The amount of people wondering if Buffy is going to get paired with someone is growing. If it's not obvious what my answer is now…then re-read the last part of this chapter.

Thank you for all the awesome reviews and comments from last chapter. Seriously. You guys are turning me into a writing machine—I'm already working on chapter eleven. And college is back in full swing. Ridiculous.

(My apologies for grammar/spelling mistakes!)


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

"Bilbo," Buffy greeted, glad to finally have a visitor. "I was wondering when I'd get a chance to see you."

The hobbit smiled as he closed the door behind him. It's been two days since Gandalf's first visit to Buffy, and as Elrond predicted, she was making a speedy recovery. It was the first day she had enough energy to get any visitors and Bilbo leapt at the chance immediately after breakfast.

Bilbo tried not to stare at Buffy. This was the first time he's ever seen her quite so…_bare. _He's gotten used to her always wearing the cloak that he'd actually forgotten that there was a woman underneath all the dark and gloom. It was very unnerving to realize that the skilled, mysterious warrior that they've been traveling with was actually this small, fragile-looking woman.

The bandages and fading bruises seemed so out of place.

_She looks so small…_

"Bilbo?"

"I'm sorry it's just uh…I brought you some flowers." He took out his present, revealing the various wild flowers he managed to snip before any of the elves caught sight of him. He blamed his Tookish side, but it was the Baggins in him that wanted to get Buffy flowers. Bilbo set them on a table near her bed.

Buffy couldn't name any of them but she gave him a genuine smile. "They're pretty."

"I thought so too," Bilbo murmured, and the look she gave him had him blushing. He just realized that he was talking to a practically naked woman! She only had a loose shirt but he could see the bindings that wrapped around her chest. Bilbo quickly averted his eyes.

"So uh…hem," Bilbo coughed uncomfortably and kept his eyes on the floor. "I would just like to thank you. I know you didn't actually saved _my _life per se, but what you did out there was incredibly brave. I have never known anybody, much less a woman, sacrifice themselves like that. I may not be the adventuring or sword-wielding type but you are an amazing woman, Lady Buffy. I only hope to one day have half the courage you have."

Bilbo could feel her familiar stare bore at him and he shifted uncomfortable on his feet again. It wasn't until he heard her sniffle that he took the chance to look at her. Was she…was Buffy _crying?_ Of all the reactions he was expecting, tears weren't one of them. What was _he _to do?

"Bilbo…" her voice sounded strained and she made a gusty sigh. It's been more than ten years since she's ever heard someone thank her for saving a life, and it wasn't even his that she saved. She reached out and grabbed his hand. "Thanks."

"Oh…er, you're welcome. I think."

There was a knock on the door and in came Dori, carrying a tray of tea and cakes.

"Begging your pardons, but would Lady Magorpîn be wanting some tea?"

"And good company if you have any," Buffy grinned, glad to see one of the dwarves. Though she knew part of his offer was due to his curiosity, she was glad that there was at least one person who was not angry for her deception.

"Well, I have my brothers with me, if they count."

He opened the door wider and in came Ori and Nori. The three of them entered and stood at the end of Buffy's bed, staring at her silently. Dori still carried the tray and made no move to make good with his offer. Ori was clutching a little flower while Nori simply stood with his hands behind his back. Buffy shifted uncomfortably and looked at Bilbo, who also took note of the dwarves' strange behavior.

"So are those cakes for sharing then?" Bilbo's proper etiquette training finally kicked in, breaking the strange silence.

"Oh yes!" Dori was startled out of his stare. "These were some of the elvish cakes they had in the kitchens. It has a nice delicate texture complimented by a hint of almonds. The tea highlights the tartness of cranberries without becoming overwhelming."

She took a sip and was impressed that he was right.

"And I brought you a flower." Ori shuffled and immediately placed it on the tray. "I don't know much about Man-folk, but Nori said that nearly all ladies like flowers."

It was a delicate looking thing and Ori had nearly crushed its stems. But Buffy was still touched by his thoughtfulness. She reached out to take it, accidentally showing the bandages that ran down her arms.

Nori cocked his head to the side and took note of her injuries. "You had us all fooled, Lady Magorpîn."

She grimaced. "It was Gandalf's idea if that makes you feel better. But it was easier to wear the cloak than telling you the truth. You can drop the Lady, Nori. I've been out in the wild and have gotten injured too many times to have that title," Buffy shrugged. She knew of the courts in Gondor and Rohan. The titles in Middle Earth were too similar to the Victorian Age, and her brief stint as Lady Anne gave her enough information about high society.

"So you consider yourself a warrior then?" a voice from the door interrupted their conversation. It was Oin and Gloin—two of the older dwarves of the company.

She shrugged. "Well, yeah."

"Never in my life have I seen someone move like you in battle," Oin commented suspiciously as the two of them got closer.

"Maybe you should go out more often?"

The two dwarves stared at her, assessing how _she_ could be the same one to have fought off the trolls and wargs. Suddenly the two broke out into a chuckle.

"You're one of a kind, Magorpîn. Your skills shall be retold in song and be known in legend once this is over. We are glad to have you in our company," Gloin winked. And the mood became merry once more.

"I didn't know there was going to be a party here!" Kili exclaimed in surprise. He and Fili had burst into the room. "Good thing we brought some food."

Fili fought off the blush that was threatening to creep up when he finally saw Magorpîn. Why did she have to look so…_pretty?_ His brother saw him hesitate and smacked him on the shoulder. "Come now Fili, don't be shy. You've already touched Magorpîn's melons."

Everybody paused as they looked at Fili, who had turned red.

"It was an _accident! _She attacked me and my hands just landed…_there._"

"Is that what they call it these days?"

Bilbo gaped in horror. _These dwarves…really!_ He really wished he could berate the dwarf himself but the rest of company seemed to be doing a terrific job of it already. Bilbo turned to Buffy, and was surprised to see that she was taking everything in amusement. It was so strange to see her so relaxed.

The door opened again and in came Bombur, Bifur, and Bofur, carrying a mélange of wine bottles, food, and instruments.

_It really was going to be a party_, Buffy mused but she was surprised she actually didn't mind it. She enjoyed listening to their merriment and the stories they told. Everyone seemed to be competing to regale her with the most embarrassing or most incredulous tale of their past adventures. Buffy found herself laughing along with them, even though it was only days ago when she purposely secluded herself from the company.

Suddenly, Bifur said something in Khuzdul and made big hand gestures, causing everyone to quiet. Only Bilbo and Buffy seemed to have missed the message. The dwarves suddenly seemed uncomfortable and very embarrassed. They shifted their glances away from her, and Buffy only became more confused.

"What?"

"Bifur brings up a good point," Dwalin said gruffly. Buffy didn't see him and Balin come in but they look like they've been watching everyone's merriment. Dwalin was standing with his brother Balin, a dark look on his face. She would have been more apprehensive had it not been for the small twitch at the corner of his mouth. "We all thought that you were a _man_, Magorpîn. We've gone through weeks of camping and traveling. Tell us, have you ever looked at us while we…_bathed_?"

_Oh. _Bilbo too was now suddenly embarrassed. _Had she…?_

Yet, the questioned only seemed to make Buffy guffaw. Her laughter set everybody laughing again and the tension broke. She gasped, clutching her ribs in pain, but still she laughed. "Of all the things…_that_ is what you were most worried about?"

"Maybe that's what you wanted all along!'

"Aye, we are the finest specimens of dwarf-men you'll see on this side of the mountains!"

"She just wanted to see us in our skivvies."

"I should feel violated!"

"How could she even resist _these_?"

Bilbo couldn't tell what was the odder sight: the flexing dwarves or Buffy whooping in playful encouragement. Everyone was in good spirits again and were laughing and singing. Thoughts of Magorpîn's supposed death seemed like ages ago.

Then the door suddenly opened and Thorin's dark figure came in. Everyone quieted and looked at their leader. Buffy got the distinct impression that Thorin was trying his best to avoid looking at her direction.

"Time's up."

Buffy glared at the dwarf for having disrupted her _fun. _"Oh don't be such a kill-joy," she sniped. He barely flickered his eyes at her. _That haughty bastard._

"The _lady_ needs her rest. She's still healing." Everyone heard the underlying command in his voice and got up to leave. Buffy briefly caught his stormy eyes as he left and she tried to ignore the shivers she got from their intensity.

One by one the dwarves thanked her and gave their best wishes. Kili boldly took her hand gave it a kiss, earning a couple of hits on the head with a staff from Oin. Ori took this as his chance to give her a careful hug. Dwalin squeezed her shoulder with affection while Bofur gave her one of his pipes as a well-intentioned gift.

It was all very strange. It almost reminded her of…_goodbyes._

Buffy caught Bilbo's arm as the last dwarf left. "Are you guys leaving Rivendell?"

"Don't be silly." Bilbo smiled gently and patted her hand away. "Thorin probably just needed help removing whatever's up his arse." Buffy snorted and Bilbo realized what he just said. The hobbit slapped his hands on his mouth, horrified at himself. "I didn't mean—my apologies. I think I'm picking up some of the dwarves' habits for untasteful language."

She grinned back and realized how tired she was. _Damn Thorin._ Buffy tried to suppress the yawn that was trying to come out and failed. "Guess that impromptu party tired me out more than I realized. Sorry Bilbo."

He smiled and fussed over her sheets. "Don't worry about it. Take your rest and I'll see you later." His smile turned sad as she fell asleep. Grudgingly, he finally left her room and saw Thorin standing outside. Bilbo have never felt so angry at someone before.

"You care for her."

"Of course I care for her. She's my _friend_ and she's saved our lives twice. And you are asking me to leave her with barely a proper goodbye!"

Thorin frowned at his tone but knew playing to his sympathy would eventually win the hobbit over. "If you care for her, you would leave her here. Look at her Bilbo; she is badly wounded because of _us_. Can you really ask more from her?"

Bilbo struggled to argue with that. "Then can't we…can't we _wait_? Lord Elrond said that she heals fast. Just give her two more days and we can all go."

"I know what that elf said," Thorin replied coldly. He only had so much patience and he was in no mood to discuss the intricacies of their journey especially to the soft hobbit. "Every hour we spend in Rivendell is another hour our enemies can make use of. We waste our time here. Pack your bags, hobbit. We depart in an hour; with or without you."

"What about Gandalf?" Bilbo knew he was pushing his luck but he had to try everything.

"He will meet us in the mountains as agreed upon."

The hobbit was much too angry to notice Thorin glance at Buffy's door before he left.

For the first time, Bilbo had felt alone in this adventure. He really was going to miss Magorpîn, and he was looking forward to learning more about her now that she didn't have to hide that she was a girl. With a sigh, he followed Thorin's footsteps. Bilbo stopped himself from looking back at Magorpîn's room.

_Goodbye my friend._

* * *

**A/N: **I hope you enjoyed more of Buffy-dwarves interacting : ) Please drop a review and let me know what you all think!


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

_A set of familiar blue eyes was laughing back at her. "C'mon Buffy! We're waiting for you."_

"_I'm coming Dawnie!" She couldn't stop the grin that was threatening to show on her face as she ran towards her sister. Dawn turned and ran, laughing and giggling without a care in the world. She hadn't heard her sister this happy for years and her laughter was infectious. They were in a massive field, surrounded by tall grass and wild flowers. Above them was the clear blue sky without a cloud in sight._

"_Gotta hurry up Buffster!" Xander appeared near Dawn, complete with his lopsided-grin. He even had both of his eyes! He turned and ran up to Dawn. _

_Willow appeared next, her shining green eyes filled with merriment. "You're never gonna catch us if you stop running." She followed Dawn and Xander._

"_I won't! I'll never stop!" Buffy laughed._

"_You should." The voice was familiar, but she couldn't tell who was speaking this time._

"_What? Why?" although confused, Buffy kept running. _

_A boom of thunder reverberated throughout the field and the shadows began appearing everywhere. It consumed all life; everything in its path withered and died. Buffy panted, her run becoming more frantic as she tried to reach her family. They were nothing but small silhouettes at this point._

"_You run towards your destruction. Buffy, Vampire Slayer." She saw her ancient eyes flash in front of her before she felt the shadows grip her with its icy claws…_

Buffy's eyes snapped open and immediately sat up. Her ribs protested from the strain but she ignored it as she glared back at the Lady of the Woods.

"You suck."

The Lady raised a brow. "You've been dreaming, Slayer?"

"Is the sky blue?" she snapped back.

"Buffy..." Gandalf came out of the shadows of the room. Exasperation was clearly written on his face. "It is of the utmost importance that you tell us your dreams. All of it."

She shifted and grimaced. Although she could tell her bones have already healed properly and her skin have stitched back together, everything still felt very tender. "Fine. But the Lady was in my last one so maybe she could explain it.

"The first dream I had started with me in a broken strong hold. There were shadows everywhere and the darkness spread, killing everything. The shadows started moving and pulsating—like it was breathing. Then it all just mixed together until it formed a figure of a man, but for some reason I could tell it wasn't just a man. I've seen evil and I've seen death; this _thing_ was both."

Buffy frowned. "I have never seen it before, but for some reason it felt familiar. I'm pretty sure I even said that in my dream before it lunged at my neck screaming 'mine!'"

Lady Galadriel and Gandalf looked at each other with worried looks. "Is this what made you believe Radagast's theory that the necromancer is back?"

"The descriptions fit too well to be a coincidence. And after being a Slayer this long you lose interest in the idea of coincidence anyway," she shrugged. "Plus the sword he brought back—"

"Yes, you said it 'called' to you," Gandalf pursed his lips and brought out the aforementioned sword from his robes. He moved closer to show it to her.

Buffy felt the familiar tug from earlier but was more prepared to react to it this time. "Take it away from me."

"You are afraid of it," Galadriel finally spoke.

"Obviously. The thing _wants_ me to use it, to kill, to destroy…and part of me wants to do it," she couldn't help the shiver that coursed through her. "But creepy weapons like that don't usually mean good tidings for me."

"And what about your second dream, Magorpîn? The one you just had?" Gandalf pressed.

Buffy sighed and rubbed her eyes. "I dreamt about my sister and my friends from back home. We were in this valley. They told me to hurry up and come over so I started running but they were always too far to catch. Then the Lady here came in and said I should stop because I was, and I quote, 'running towards my destruction'. The shadows appeared again and everything died. Before I woke up, I felt the shadows grab my neck…" She looked at the High Elf expectantly. "Care to explain that one?"

Galadriel turned from the balcony and walked towards the bed. "You dream of destruction because I have dreamt yours, Slayer. For the past ten years you have wandered the edges of our world seeking answers that did not yet exist. Now that they do, the path to find them is the same one that will lead you to your ruin."

The Lady stood near Gandalf and took the wrapped sword. "This sword comes beyond death. It belonged to the Witch-King of Angmar and it was buried deep into his tomb. For it to come back to light gives me fright for the times ahead. But for you to feel a call to use this gives me fear. You are right to be afraid of it. I believe that it was no coincidence that your dreams happened at the same time a dark presence took hold of Greenwood."

"It's never good tidings." Buffy sighed even though her skin itched to touch the blade. "Can't we just destroy it? Scrap the metal and then scrap the scraps?"

Galadriel shook her head. "This came to you from death and it will look for you again. You are tied to this blade, Slayer. Only time will reveal for what purpose it will be." Galadriel gave the wrapped sword to Buffy. "You must never use this. It contains great power but destruction will surely follow should you use this blade."

Buffy tentatively grabbed the still wrapped sword before quickly setting it on the table. She tried to ignore how eerily _nice_ it felt to hold it. There was so much information she needed to process but there was one thing clear. She turned to Gandalf.

"Gandalf, I can't stay with you in this quest. It puts too many lives at risk and now that I have new information, I might be able to finally go home."

"I have the same thoughts myself," Gandalf replied, though he was disappointed to lose her so early in their journey.

"No," Galadriel interrupted. There was intensity behind her voice that quickly ended their discussion. "Your dreams started when you entered this journey which means you were meant to be in Oakenshield's company. Their quest will help bring you to the answers that you seek."

"But my Lady, did you not say that it will also bring her to her ruin? How can I risk the lives of other innocents?"

Buffy was torn. To stay with the dwarves was to put them in unnecessary harm but to leave was to give up her first real chance of going home. The slayer looked up to see Galadriel staring at her knowingly.

"I did, Mithrandir. But for her to stray from this path would mean dangers that I have not foreseen."

Gandalf remained unconvinced but who was he to question the Lady of the Woods's counsel? He looked at the slayer warily, hoping that for once, Galadriel read the signs wrong. The Lady's voice entered his mind.

_Have hope, Mithrandir. Have hope for her path with the dwarves is full of twists and unexpected bends. She may find salvation with them yet. _

He gave the briefest of nods.

Yes, he must not forget the strength of small actions…

Buffy laughed mirthlessly. "So it's go with the path where danger is known versus go with the path where danger is _un_known. It must be Tuesday." A selfish part of her was relieved that the choice of staying with the company was made for her. This was her chance to find her way back home and she would do whatever it took to keep it. She'll just have to figure out a way to bypass the whole destruction part along the way.

No biggie.

"Well if you are still set in completing this journey, we must leave as soon as we can. How are you feeling?"

Buffy flexed her fingers and rubbed her ribs. "Kinda tender on the inside but I think I'm ready to be up and about. Why? What's the rush?"

Gandalf shifted. "It seems Thorin and the rest have continued the journey without us."

"They did _what?!"_

* * *

_This is it…this is how it's all going to end. Trolls and wargs and mountain giants and I go down because of the bloody rain._

This was all Bilbo could think of as he held on the slippery rock for dear life. He couldn't shout for his voice had left him.

"It's alright Bilbo we've got you!"

But even the dwarves' words were not comforting. The dwarves were frantically trying all they could to lift him up from edge while avoiding slipping off themselves, but to no avail. Just as Bilbo was about to lose his grip, Thorin jumps down to a nearby ledge and hauls him out. The dwarf-prince grunted in surprise when he felt his foot slip just as he was about to lift himself up. Luckily, he managed to grab on and Dwalin was there to bring him out.

"We nearly lost our burglar," Dwalin sighed, relieved that it wasn't the case.

"He's been lost ever since he left his home," Thorin snapped. "He should never have come; he doesn't belong here."

Although Thorin had been in a foul-mood ever since leaving Rivendell, Bilbo felt the sting of his words. He tried to ignore Thorin's disappointed glare like he had done so many times, but he couldn't. Bilbo thought he could prove them—even himself—that he was capable of going through with this quest; that he had the courage Gandalf insisted he had.

But the wizard was very wrong this time.

So when they found a dry cave nearby and everyone had fallen asleep, Bilbo packed his bags as quietly as he could and tiptoed his way out. He knew he was being a coward but he didn't care. His near-death experience up here in the mountains just confirmed everything that Thorin and the dwarves have been saying all along. He was a hobbit who had been spoiled by the pleasures of life; it was against his nature to be out here in the Wild. He missed regular meals, his warm bed, his cozy hearth, and most of all clean laundry.

Bilbo was born a Baggins and a Baggins he will remain.

"Where do you think you're going?" Bofur whispered loudly, interrupting his thoughts.

"Bofur I—," the hobbit shifted his bag uncomfortably on his shoulder. "I'm going back to Rivendell."

"No! No, no, no. You can't leave now. You're part of this company—you're one of us."

"But I'm not am I?" he interrupted and he couldn't keep the bitterness out of his voice. "Thorin was right. I don't belong here. I should never have left Bag End." Unbeknownst to either of them, Thorin opened his eyes and watch the interaction with quiet curiosity.

Bofur gave him a sympathetic look. "You're homesick. I understand!'

"No, you don't 'understand'; how can you? You're dwarves! This is what you do; you go on adventuring but you don't belong anywhere," Bilbo threw Thorin's words at Bofur, but he immediately wished he could take them back. "I-I'm so sorry. I didn't mean…"

"You're right," Bofur smiled sadly. In many ways, the hobbit spoke the truth; they didn't have a home to go to…but that was why they were on this adventure in the first place. "We don't belong anywhere."

Bilbo shifted on his feet, feeling incredibly guilty.

"I wish you the very best, Mister Baggins. I really do."

"And I you." In spite of his bitter feelings, Bilbo knew he was going to miss most of them. Even the pleasant thoughts of Rivendell was unable to console the sadness that suddenly took hold of his heart.

"Before you go, may I ask you for a favor?" Bilbo nodded in response. "If you meet Lady Magorpîn again, will you tell her I said sorry? I feel bad leaving her like that without saying goodbye…"

The hobbit nodded again, a small smile on his face this time. "Actually, her real name is Buffy," Bilbo corrected softly. He was surprised at how hard it was to leave her in Rivendell two days ago. Although no one spoke about the fact that they just left her after the impromptu party, she continued to be the main topic of conversation for the past nights.

Thorin stored Magorpîn's other name away in his mind.

"That woman gets odder everyday," Bofur chuckled and shook his head at the queer name. But something blue caught his eyes. "What is that?"

Bilbo looked down at his sword and slowly brought it out. It glowed bright blue and he felt his stomach sink with dread as he recalled Gandalf's words.

_It is of elvish make, which means that the blade will glow blue if orcs or goblins are nearby._

There was a deep rumble in the cave, and Thorin, who had been listening to Bofur and Bilbo, tried to rouse everybody. A crack formed from the far end of wall, down the floor, and continued throughout until it touched the other floor.

And then they fell, their surprised screams echoing throughout the cave.

* * *

It took Buffy and Gandalf one and a half days of hard riding to get to the bottom of the mountains, and the better part of the night climbing the rest of the way when Elrond's horses could no longer take them. They only took rest when the horses needed it. And though Buffy did not mention anything, Gandalf knew she appreciated the breaks for some of her wounds were still healing.

The wizard also knew that she was very upset with the company, especially with Thorin. But the anger and the news about finding a way to go home simply fueled her desire to catch up with them. After the hard riding and the relentless climb through the rain, Buffy and Gandalf finally managed to track the dwarves into one of the many caves in the mountains.

"They were here."

"Yeah, I got that part, but unless Thorin got hit in the head by those stone giants—which are _insane_ by the way—I don't think they would just leave anything behind," Buffy pointed out the random blankets and items that were strewn haphazardly on the floor. "And besides, some of the things they 'left behind' don't make any sense."

"Neither does the floor." Gandalf stood up from his position after studying the flooring of the cave. "The area around here barely has a speck of dirt or dust compared to the back end of wall. And this marking," he pointed at a very faint line that cut through the floor. "It is much too straight to be natural."

Buffy uncrossed her arm. She stomped her foot hard experimentally, and got a hollow sound. "Methinks a trap-floor."

"Any thoughts on what's on the other side?"

"Hopefully, something I could kill," Buffy took out her trusty sword as Gandalf raised his staff above his head. "I'm still pissed at getting left behind."

Gandalf chuckled, although he was somewhat comforted to have the slayer with him. If luck was with them, they may all get out of this cave in one piece. He gave her one final look before bringing down his staff, which opened the floor below. Neither expected the long and winding slide that met them, but both had enough sense not to make any sound. At this point, stealth and surprise were there only allies.

It winded down, deep into the mountain until finally they landed on a flat surface.

"Disneyland could take a few notes," Buffy grunted as she stood up. "Although a softer landing might be a good idea."

"You can take your notes to the Land of Disney once we got out of this goblin cave," Gandalf muttered, slightly annoyed. He took in the sight of the empty halls and the lit fires. "The dwarves were taken through here. We must hurry." The wizard turned only to see Buffy already running down the pathway.

"Way ahead of you Gandalf," she smirked as the wizard quickly caught up to her.

They ran down and down the bridges and pathways, following the sounds of thousands of goblins cheering and stomping. Up ahead, Buffy saw a couple goblins running towards the source of such commotion. Without breaking her stride, she took one of her throwing knives and flung it at one of the goblin's head. Its friend barely had time to look behind before its own head met Buffy's sword.

The chanting grew louder.

"It looks like we have a party to crash."

"Is this what you call a party?" Gandalf replied dryly as they came upon the main event. They were able to hide behind a massive boulder. Thankfully there weren't any goblins nearby to deal with and those that passed them were too excited to watch tonight's show.

Across from them was the Goblin King taunting the Thorin Oakenshield. Buffy was able to see that the rest of the company was nearby, but everyone was held down by at least five goblins to a dwarf and none of them were armed. She saw the pile of weaponry in front of them.

She turned back to Gandalf. "It _would_ be my kind of party, but it's missing a bit of a light show, wouldn't you agree?"

Gandalf nodded, understanding her intent. "Good thing you a have wizard-friend nearby."

"Well isn't that convenient?"

Buffy heard the Goblin King yelp in fright as he saw Orcrist the Goblin-Cleaver and ordered everyone to just kill the dwarves. She took that as her cue to burst in the scene, with hers sword gleaming under the firelight. Everyone paused their yelling and movements when they saw her unexpected arrival.

"Buffy?"

She turned around, surprised that it was Thorin that had uttered her name. He looked at her with such shock and disbelief that she took pride in being the cause of it. It was a pleasant change from his usual haughty or glowering expression.

"Buh-feeh?" the Goblin King cackled. "Such a silly name for such a puny human-girl!"

"Well then you call me 'Slayer'," she brought her sword up, preparing to lunge. "Comma 'The'. Fugly."

A bright light followed by a massive shockwave went through the entire hall, and for the second time that night, everyone was shocked into silence.

And then all hell broke loose.

* * *

**A/N: **I apologize for the super late update. I think I jinxed myself with the whole 'I'm a writing machine' comment because as luck would have it…I kinda ran out of juice. Luckily this chapter had been written already so I actually have something to post. However, this does mean that the next chapter will not be up for awhile (sorry!) and with college back in session and a senior thesis needing to be researched, I have less time to write. But do not worry! This story WILL be continued. Updates will just be fewer and less frequent…

Thank you for all your continued support and wonderful views. As always, I appreciate your thoughts and critiques : )


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